On Sunday night, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced his new cabinet, a move that has generated a mixed reaction from South Africans and political parties.
The new cabinet includes members from multiple parties such as the DA, PA, FF Plus, and UDM, resulting in a significantly bloated cabinet despite prior commitments to reduce its size.
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President Ramaphosa stated that the separation of some portfolios was necessary to ensure sufficient focus on key national issues.
He explained, “Given the challenges that the country faces today and considering the electoral mandate this government must implement, I have decided to make certain changes to the national government portfolios.”
However, he also acknowledged that the need to include various parties in the government of national unity made it impossible to reduce the number of portfolios as initially planned.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema strongly criticized the bloated cabinet and the perceived DA-ANC partnership.
He hinted at possible street protests, stating, “The streets are calling; picket lines are part of the theatre of politics. Our generation can’t be part of the betrayal of generations before us, now or never.”
The EFF condemned Ramaphosa’s announcement, calling it “essentially an ANC-DA cabinet.”
Build One South Africa leader Mmusi Maimane expressed both congratulations and criticism. While he congratulated DA’s Siviwe Gwarube for her appointment as Education Minister, he criticized the bloated cabinet and called for the removal of perks included in ministerial positions.
“This is now one of the largest national executives we’ve seen in democratic South Africa,” Maimane noted.
Other political parties also expressed their disappointment. Rise Mzansi welcomed the new cabinet but lamented its enlarged size.
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“While Rise Mzansi forms part of the government of national unity, we never made demands for executive positions nor were we offered positions in the executive,” the party stated.
Herman Mashaba’s ActionSA criticized the bloated cabinet as proof that benefits are prioritized over principles.
“Contrary to past commitments by both Ramaphosa and the DA, the appointment of 32 ministers and 42 deputy ministers shows that when they stand to benefit, their principles soon fall by the wayside,” said Mashaba.
