SANF 24 no 12 – By Clarkson Mambo
South Africa’s newly appointed cabinet unveiled by President Cyril Ramaphosa on 30 June reflects a delicate balancing act as it captures the diverse political and demographic landscape.
The cabinet brings together political foes whose ideas and ideologies have hitherto seemed as incompatible as oil and water, as well as some party start-ups that have taken advantage of public sentiment about issues such as poor service delivery, corruption and immigration as their ticket for a seat at the table.
Ramaphosa, inaugurated for a second term on 19 June, faced the results of an election where no single party secured a majority, although his party received the most votes. The African National Congress (ANC), historically dominant since the apartheid administration was removed in 1994, saw its vote share drop to 40.1 percent, well below the 50 percent plus-one vote required to form a government alone.
To form a government, Ramaphosa negotiated a coalition involving 11 political parties.
The 34-member Cabinet comprises representatives from seven of the coalition partners – the ANC, Democratic Alliance (DA), Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), Freedom Front Plus, Good Party, Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) and Patriotic Alliance (PA).
In addition to securing the top two positions of President and Deputy President, the ANC filled 20 ministerial positions of the 32 positions on offer. The DA, which is the second largest party after securing 21.8 percent of the vote in the 29 May elections, was allocated six ministerial positions.
The remaining six positions were distributed among five other parties, with the IFP getting two while Freedom Front Plus, Good party, PA and PAC got one place each in the national executive.
The other parties in the coalition – Al Jama-ah, Rise Mzansi, United Africans Transformation and United Democratic Movement – were included when Ramaphosa announced the names of 43 deputy ministers.
In announcing the cabinet, Ramaphosa emphasised diversity, considering gender, youth, demographics, and regional distribution.
“We have sought to ensure that the National Executive is representative of the people of South Africa, giving due consideration to gender, youth, demographics and regional distribution,” he said, adding that, due to the need for inclusivity, he was forced to renege on a pre-election promise to reduce the number of cabinet positions.
The national executive was instead expanded from the previous 62 members – comprising 28 ministers and 34 deputy ministers – to 77 members.
“In some instances, we have considered it necessary to separate certain portfolios to ensure that there is sufficient focus on key issues,” he explained.
The Ministry of Agriculture was separated from the Ministry of Land Reform and Rural Development, while the former Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology was split into separate portfolios responsible for Higher Education, and for Science, Technology and Innovation.
The ministries of Electricity and Energy were merged while and there will be a separate Ministry of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, previously responsible for energy issues. There is now a stand-alone Ministry of Correctional Services. This function previously fell under Justice and Constitutional Affairs.
Despite differences in policy and practice, Ramaphosa appointed his political rival and DA leader John Steenhuisen as Minister of Agriculture but the ANC retained the portfolio responsible for land reform.
Land is a highly contentious subject in South Africa, a country where much of the farmland and other wealth is still controlled by minority whites, 30 years after the advent of majority rule.
During commemorations of the 1960 Sharpeville massacre in March this year, Ramaphosa announced that his government had so far returned nearly four million hectares of land to people who had been dispossessed of it and that more needed to be done in this area to address the wrongs of the past.
The newly appointed cabinet fell short in terms of gender representation as the number of women in Cabinet remained at 14, the same number as in 2019, which at that time represented 50 percent of the 28 ministerial portfolios.
The cabinet portfolios that were allocated to women ministers this year include Basic Education; Higher Education; Defence and Military Veterans; Employment and Labour; Human Settlements; Justice and Constitutional Development; Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation; Minister in the Presidency; and Small Business Development.
Others are the ministries responsible for Social Development; Tourism; Transport; Water and Sanitation; and Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities.
However, as a percentage of total cabinet ministers, the number of women declined to 41 percent compared to 50 percent in the previous cabinet appointed by Ramaphosa following the last elections held five years ago.
While some key portfolios such as the ministries of Defence and Military Veterans, and Justice and Constitutional Development are led by women, the overall gender balance remains below the threshold for representation of women in politics and decision-making positions as agreed by the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
The Revised SADC Protocol on Gender and Development commits member states to aims for 50:50 representation by women and men. sardc.net
