President Cyril Ramaphosa is said to be planning his next cabinet reshuffle – however, it has been made clear that he won’t just be trimming down on ministers.
Speaking to the Citizen, presidential spokesperson Khusela Diko said that the president was busy with a wide consultation process aimed at the reconfiguration of the government structure.
While Diko would not comment on who was being consulted, the Citizen reports that it was made clear that the plan was not to merely focus on a cabinet reduction but something much bigger.
This could include a ‘macro-reconfiguration’ which is expected to result in a leaner cabinet, fewer departments, and the possible restructuring of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and provincial administrations, it said.
‘Super Ministry’
On Tuesday (20 November), Bloomberg reported that Ramaphosa may create a ‘super-ministry’ for economic policy as part of an overhaul of the nation’s executive.
Citing three people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reports that the new ministry will combine various economic departments, including the National Treasury, to simplify policy formulation and avoid the duplication of roles.
The reassessment of the size of the cabinet will dovetail with a review of the role state-owned companies play in the economy, they said.
Ramaphosa is also unlikely to fill the vacancies created by the resignation of Home Affairs minister Malusi Gigaba and Environmental Affairs minister Edna Molewa, Bloomberg’s sources reported.
Ramaphosa has tasked politicians already in the executive to oversee the two departments.
Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom now also acts as the minister for the environment and Transport Minister Blade Nzimande doubles up as head of home affairs.
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