President Cyril Ramaphosa Defends His “Bloated” Presidency, Claiming It's Needed to Tackle SA’s Problems

• President Cyril Ramaphosa has spoken in defence of the ever-growing size of his presidency
• Speaking at the presidency budget vote, Ramaphosa said that all the ministers were necessary to address SA's problems
• The size of the president's Cabinet has also historically come under fire for having too many ministers

CAPE TOWN - President Cyril Ramaphosa has taken up proverbial arms to defend his ever-growing presidency.

While being grilled during the Presidency budget vote in Parliament on Thursday, 1 June, Ramaphosa said that the ministers in his presidency were needed to tackle SA's myriad social, economic and political problems.

President Cyril Ramaphosa says ministers in the presidency are necessary to advance South Africa

As it stands, the presidency consists of Ramaphosa himself, his deputy, Paul Mashatile, four cabinet minister and their deputies, TimesLIVE reported.

Read also

SA considers venue change for BRICS summit as Vladimir Putin’s ICC arrest warrant continues to create hurdles

Ramaphosa said:

“It is not about counting heads, but about attracting the necessary capacity, requisite skills and technical expertise to fulfil our crucial mandate.”

The president added that it's the presidency's responsibility to drive progress on inequality, education, joblessness, healthcare, gender-based violence and crime from the centre of government.

Size of President Cyril Ramaphosa's Cabinet causes controversy

The size of Ramaphosa's Cabinet has also come under fire over recent months. In March, opposition parties echoed calls for the number of ministers in the Cabinet to be reduced.

According to News24, there are currently 30 ministers in the Cabinet, which goes against the government's advice to trim the number down and keep it below 23.

President Ramaphosa quickly defended the number of ministers under his employ, claiming a stable state was more important than counting heads.

Read also

DA launches legal bid to compel govt to arrest Putin, sparking debate in SA: “The DA is being used as pawns”

South Africans debate the size of Cyril Ramaphosa's presidency

Below are some comments:

@stevenndlovu6 accused:

"He's looking after his friends in politics and Phala Phala defenders."

Malanga Lekganyane said:

"We have more problems as a country we need more hands on deck!"

@Vuyo40049555 exclaimed:

"This is insane."

Malanga Lekganyane praised

"We are proud under your administration, sir."

Khalid Amod claimed:

"This government of fools should be just shut down."

John Steenhuisen says President Cyril Ramaphosa is a “political swindler” who fooled the country

In another story, Briefly News reported that Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisn has accused President Cyril Ramaphosa of ticking the country into believing he is a competent leader.

Steenhuisen launched his scathing attack on Ramaphosa during his Presidential Burget Vote on Wednesday, 31 May.

Steenhuisen accused the president of being a "political swindler" and deceitful because he has not been able to fulfil the promises he made in his "new dawn" and "Thuma mina" speeches, reports TimesLIVE.

Source: Briefly News