Question NW644 to the President of the Republic
08 April 2025 - NW644
Maotwe, Ms OMC to ask the President of the Republic
(1) Whether he has found that the positions of Deputy Ministers provided for by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, to assist members of the Cabinet, are necessary, given the size of the Cabinet and the prevailing fiscal pressures; if so, what are the relevant details; if not, (2) whether he intends to reduce and/or eliminate the specified positions, in line with his previous commitment to restructure the Cabinet and reducing its size; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details?
Reply:
Since the advent of democracy in 1994, Deputy Ministers have played an important role in assisting Ministers in the performance of their functions and responsibilities.
In portfolios with a wide range of responsibilities, Deputy Ministers are given responsibility for certain areas of work in terms of Departments’ Annual Performance Plans, ensuring that there is consistent political attention and oversight.
In announcing appointments to the National Executive following the May 2024 elections, I indicated that due to the need to ensure that the National Executive is inclusive of all the parties to the Government of National Unity, it was not possible to reduce the number of portfolios in the National Executive.
We have sought to ensure that the National Executive is representative of the people of South Africa, giving due consideration to gender, youth, demographics and regional distribution.
The Deputy Ministers appointed in June 2024 continue to add value to the work of government and to support in a meaningful way the implementation of the priorities of the 7th democratic administration.