Cyril Ramaphosa Refuses to Cut 43 Deputy Minister Posts, BOSA Says Doing So Will Save R94m Annually

• President Cyril Ramaphosa has defended the need for 43 deputy ministers in his already bloated cabinet
• Build One South Africa maintains that trimming the cabinet size would save the government billions
• South Africans questioned the need for so many deputy ministers, saying they did nothing

Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent ten years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.

WESTERN CAPE – The size of Cyril Ramaphosa’s cabinet will not be trimmed, even if doing so will save the South African government millions.

In response to a question in Parliament, President Cyril Ramaphosa maintained that he would not be cutting the 43 deputy minister posts. The posts cost R94m per year in salaries.

Ramaphosa defends deputy minister posts

In a response to a parliamentary question from Omphile Maotwe of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), Ramaphosa defended the role of the deputy ministers, saying they were a necessary part of government.

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The EFF member questioned the need for the deputies when the country was under such huge financial pressure.

The president stated that the deputies played an important role in assisting the ministers.

“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 seventh democratic administration,” Ramaphosa said.

Build One South Africa (BOSA) wants posts scrapped

Build One South Africa (BOSA) is also calling for the posts to be scrapped, maintaining that it could save the country billions. BOSA leader Mmusi Maimane stated that downsizing the cabinet and eliminating the deputy minister positions would save an estimated R3.9 billion per year.

Some departments have more than one deputy, with each earning an annual salary of R2.2 million. Each deputy is also provided with two official residences, one in Cape Town and one in Pretoria.

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They are also given a vehicle for each city. Deputy ministers are also allowed to hire some staff like a chief of staff, a media liaison officer and community outreach officers. Prior to the first scheduled budget speech in February 2025, Economy expert Maarten van Doesburgh also called for the cabinet to be trimmed as a means to save money.

Ramaphosa previously stated that he would reduce the size of the cabinet but admitted that the formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU) has prevented him from doing so, as he needed to appoint more ministers than before. African National Congress (ANC) Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula also defended the size of the cabinet, saying that trimming it or stopping ministerial perks would not make a difference.

South Africans see no need for deputies

Social media users weighed in on Ramaphosa’s statement, with many also questioning the need for the posts. Some added it was just a way to reward cadres.

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Matome Mathekga said:

“The priority for any political leader is to protect those who elected him. Cyril is no different to any politician. He is protecting himself first before the needs of anyone. The comrades are getting what he promised, which is guaranteed jobs and benefits for five years.”

Themi Nasis stated:

“They need deputies and hordes of overpaid staff because there's no work culture or ethic, only the mentality of there's someone else to do the work.”

Oliphant de Kock added:

“Deputy ministers are doing nothing. The government must do away with these nonsensical positions.”

Pat Pawson claimed:

“The cadres have to have cushy highly paid jobs, never mind the suffering of the people. This is how ANC rewards its looters.”

John Makhetha asked:

“How can you remove people who defended you during the Phala Phala scandal?”

ActionSA wants the cabinet size trimmed

Briefly News reported that ActionSA also called for the government to trim the size of the cabinet.

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The party maintained that this would be a better alternative instead of increasing the Value-Added Tax.

South Africans agreed with Herman Mashaba's party, saying that there were too many cabinet ministers.

Source: Briefly News