Johnathan Paoli
Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has defended the extended size of the Cabinet, and said that it was due to the results of the national elections earlier this year.
Minister Ntshavheni briefed the media on Thursday afternoon, and said the need to be inclusive and cooperate with other parties was the reason behind increasing the number of ministers.
“Given the electoral outcome and the agreement to form a government of national unity (GNU), it was therefore no longer possible for the President to fulfil the undertaking he had previously made to reduce the number of the portfolios in the national executive,” she said.
The Minister said the constitution of the national executive needed to be cognisant of other national interests, such as demographics, geographic spread, youth and gender representation.
She said the GNU will work towards achieving National Development Plan goals alongside the United Nations’ sustainable development goals, the parties’ manifestos, and analysed by a forum of Directors-General.
The national cabinet contains 76 members, including 32 ministers and 24 deputy ministers, representing nine distinct political parties.
Earlier in the day, the ANC rejected claims of a divided front within the GNU and said there is certainty about the policy platform.
Acting national spokesperson Zuko Godlimpi said there was a need to clarify the unnecessary false information about what constitutes the policy programme of the GNU.
Godlimpi said the platform was agreed to by all political parties who signed the GNU’s Statement of Intent (SOI).
“There is no agreement that exists of ‘sealed mandates’ where each Minister in the GNU pursues their sectarian party policies. Such an agreement would run counter to both the letter and spirit of the constitution, which all GNU party signatories have agreed to act on the basis of,” Godlimpi said.
He said provisions within the SOI – especially clause 19.3 which states that sufficient consensus exists when GNU parties which represent 60% of seats in parliament agree – indicated that all existing government policies remain in effect without exception.
The adopted programme of action is expected to be announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Opening of Parliament on 18 July.
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