Suck it up! Bloated Cabinet can be blamed on voters, says Minister in the Presidency

4 Jul 2024

Addressing the media a day after the swearing-in of the government of national unity executive, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni stressed the collective nature of the undertaking – and said GNU priorities would be based on the National Development Plan of 2012.

GNU ministers already seeking to stamp their mark on their department should hold their horses.

That was the message from Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni on Thursday, addressing journalists in Cape Town.

“Whoever said ‘this is the policy I’m going to implement’ – no. Whoever said ‘this is the priority I’m going to implement’ – no,” Ntshavheni said.

A number of DA ministers have already made public statements about actions and priorities they intend to immediately pursue within their departments.

But Ntshavheni said that before priorities or strategic plans for any departments can be set, there must be discussion and agreement at the Cabinet lekgotla scheduled for 11 and 12 July 2024.

There is no single minister who can expropriate a decision of Cabinet to themselves.

The minister indicated that department directors-general are analysing the manifestos of all the signatories to the GNU in order to present proposed priorities and a programme of action to Cabinet. These would be reflected in the Medium-Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) to be presented by the President at the opening of Parliament on 18 July 2024.

She stressed, however, that the GNU’s choice of priorities would have to be aligned with the National Development Plan (NDP) adopted in 2012.

All for one and one for all

Ntshavheni made a point of highlighting the concept of “collective responsibility” which now falls on the shoulders of all members of the GNU.

“There is no single minister who can expropriate a decision of Cabinet to themselves,” she said.

Ntshavheni explained that all issues which are not “routine, departmentally-specific” matters must first be referred to Cabinet for a decision.

“It should be stressed that both the President and individual ministers are duty bound to take to the Cabinet issues of policy [and] significant decisions,” she said.

“Failure to do so could undermine the validity of such a decision.”

The minister also said members of the GNU should consider themselves as having “collapsed themselves into a governing party” which would act as a disciplined collective.

“You can’t be a deputy minister from the UDM [United Democratic Movement] and then go and oppose the government decision,” Ntshavheni said.

She stressed that Cabinet operates not by voting on decisions but by reaching consensus by discussion, even though there have been past issues on which Cabinet “differed very vehemently”.

Asked what specific deadlock or conflict-breaking mechanisms the GNU Cabinet would be relying on, Ntshavheni seemed to suggest that much would come down to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s personal negotiation skills. Otherwise, dissenting parties “will have to go and find each other”.

Electorate must suck up cost of bloated Cabinet

Ntshavheni began her briefing by acknowledging the size of the new Cabinet, saying the electoral outcome meant that it was “no longer possible for the President to fulfil the undertaking he had previously made to reduce the number of portfolios in the National Executive” due to the need to accommodate so many parties.

Read more in Daily Maverick: Historic day for SA as government of national unity ministers take oath of office

Read more in Daily Maverick: Very big, very bloated, but will the government of national unity Cabinet be better?

Asked about concerns over the cost of this bloated Cabinet, Ntshavheni said this was an outcome of voters’ choices – and indicated that if voters were unhappy, they should consider making different choices in the next election.

Voters must accept that “in order to make lemonade from lemons”, there’s a cost, Ntshavheni said. DM

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All for one and one for all

Electorate must suck up cost of bloated Cabinet