No power grab, says Ramaphosa

More ministers are being appointed to the presidency to better serve South Africans, says Ramaphosa

The appointment of more ministers in the presidency was not intended as a centralisation of power but rather to make the government work more effectively and better serve the people, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Thursday. The president appeared for a questionand-answer session in the National Council of Provinces, which was notable for the absence of EFF MPs.

The appointment of more ministers in the presidency was not intended as a centralisation of power, but rather to make the government work more effectively and better serve the people, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Thursday.

The president appeared for a question-and-answer session in the National Council of Provinces, which was notable by the absence of EFF MPs who were not able to take their turn in asking questions. The EFF has called for the removal of Ramaphosa because of the Phala Phala theft saga and have on previous occasions created havoc in parliamentary sittings where Ramaphosa appeared.

The questions asked related to the replacement of the social relief-of-distress grant, the professionalisation of the public service and cadre deployment, load-shedding, the recent cabinet reshuffle, greylisting and the removal of red tape.

DA MP Dennis Ryder suggested in his question that Ramaphosa’s recent cabinet reshuffle had seen a continuation of the shift of ministers into the presidency and a “concerning” centralisation of power in his office. Two new ministers were appointed: Kgosientsho Ramokgopa (electricity) and Maropene Ramokgopa (planning, monitoring & evaluation).

Ramaphosa said having more functions in the presidency meant a more effective government and improving service to the people of SA. It was a question of strengthening government and ensuring that SA had a capable state, and was not, as Ryder suggested, that he did not trust his cabinet ministers to work according to his expectations or that he feared scrutiny.

“It is not a process of centralising power. It is not even driven by that. It is a process of creating a much more capable state. We are, through having the various tasks in the presidency, ensuring that we work more effectively,” Ramaphosa said. He pointed out there was oversight of the presidency as it was required to answer questions by MPs.

Replying to a question by Freedom Front Plus MP Stephanus du Toit on whether the size of the cabinet was in the best interest of the country given SA’s fiscal constraints, Ramaphosa said the size and configuration of the cabinet was guided by the needs of the country. SA had urgent and pressing developmental needs that required an active and capable state, he said.

The needs of the country changed over time, he said. The two recently appointed ministers were a response to specific needs. The minister of electricity — a temporary position — would focus on the main priority of resolving the energy crisis, while the minister of planning, monitoring & evaluation would concentrate on the effective implementation of government programmes, as well as to fix problems as they arose.

No new departments would be created to support these ministers.

“The capability of the state is what informs the approach we have taken and we do believe that it is going to yield good results,” the president said, adding that there would be further work on the reconfiguration of the state, which could involve the merger of various state functions to make a leaner government.

Also in the presidency is businessperson Sipho Nkosi as head of a team committed to reducing red tape.

Ramaphosa said the department of small business development had identified 29 pieces of legislation that negatively affected small businesses across the three spheres of government. These were now being prioritised for action.

The president reiterated his view that there was nothing wrong with cadre deployment as long as it was based on merit and ability.