The big shift in government that could change everything – or nothing at all

The big shift in government that could change everything – or nothing at all BY Seth Thorne

Analysts say that there’s almost no reason South Africa should have any deputy ministers, let alone 43 of them – but some are hopeful that having deputies from different parties could improve accountability and keep the peace in the new era of co-governance.

South Africa’s Deputy President, Ministers and their Deputies are set to be sworn in on 3 July. But some have baulked at the hefty number of departments and new heads – and questioned the role of deputy ministers in government.

The country’s seventh administration will have 43 deputy ministers, each receiving a R2.22 million salary per year, up from the 35 deputies in the previous term.

Proponents of the large pool of deputies argue that it could facilitate more multi-party governance within the Government of National Unity (GNU) and hold ministries to account.

However, opponents have argued that the positions are pricy appointments meant to make politicians happy, and not much else.

Are deputy ministers needed?

A big misconception is that deputy ministers are part of the cabinet and the executive—but this is not the case.

Section 85 of the Constitution states that executive authority is only exercised by the president and cabinet. In terms of Section 91, the cabinet consists of the president, deputy president and ministers.

According to section 93(1) of the Constitution, the President may appoint any number of Deputy Ministers from among the members of the National Assembly (no more than two from outside the Assembly,) to assist the members of the Cabinet.

However, deputy ministers do not ordinarily sit in Cabinet meetings and in the absence of a minister, the deputy minister cannot act on behalf of the minister.

Senior lecturer at Wits Business School Paul Kaseke previously wrote that “nobody would really mind how large the cabinet is if there were no financial implications attached.”

However, this is far from the case. The new deputy ministers alone are set to cost the taxpayer an annual R95.25 million, excluding perks and allowances.

“Critics may well argue that saving [money].. by cutting out deputy ministers is a drop in the ocean… but every cent saved by the state counts,” said Kaseke.

Political economics lecturer at the Wits Business School, Professor Jannie Rossouw said that “truthfully, I am (and many other people are) not sure what a deputy minister actually does, and there are now 43 of them.”

While there is still a lack of clarity about the exact duties of deputies and worries over the price to state coffers, Kaseke argues that another pressing issue arises.

“There are no measurable checks and balances to ensure that they actually do any work,” he said.

“While both ministers and deputy ministers are accountable to parliament for the exercise of their functions, only ministers need to submit full and regular reports to parliament,” said Kaseke.

“It is practically impossible for parliament to hold [all] deputy ministers to account in addition to all its other duties – this lack of oversight leaves deputy ministers unchecked, even though they earn more than parliamentarians,” he added.

The Wits lecturer explained that “the reality is that the office has generally been occupied by ghost deputy ministers whose existence only emerges when scandals of lavish spending come to light.”

“Saying that the deputy ministers are useless would be to disregard those who work hard and are effective in their roles.. the argument I am making is that they do not fulfil a necessary function that warrants their existence in government,” said Kaseke.

Proponents of the GNU deputies

Proponents of the appointment of the 43 deputy ministers, particularly within the GNU, say that this could increase multi-party governance, accountability, and effectiveness, given that many ministers and deputies are from differing political parties.

“In the various portfolios, the ministers now cannot rule as if they have an outright majority,” with consensus building and negotiation needed, particularly from their deputy ministers, to make the GNU work, said Rossouw (although he is far from a proponent of having 43 deputies).

This could prove evident in portfolios like Finance and Trade, Industry, and Competition, which is headed by the ANC (and has ANC deputies) but also has DA deputies.

These parties have repeatedly disagreed on many policies, with a deputy minister from an alternate party more likely to differ from the minister than one from their own party.

Why were deputies chosen?

Rossouw said that the National Executive’s large composition, including 43 deputy ministers, was more of a game of politics than governance, aiming to keep as many people as possible happy while keeping the President in power.

“[In my view], this was to co-opt people (within the co-governing agreement) to keep them happy,” so that the African National Congress maintained its position as President despite not having the votes for it on their own.

For example, the Democratic Alliance (DA), which received the second-highest number of votes in the general elections, eyed control of key economic ministries, including Trade, Industry, and Competition, which reportedly put the deal on a knife’s edge.

Although it did not receive some of the positions it was eyeing, it did receive (among others) the deputy minister portfolios for Finance, Small Business Development and Trade, Industry and Competition, saying that they are content in receiving the roles to “pursue rapid growth and job creation.”

Apart from keeping other parties within the GNU happy, Rossouw also predicts the appointment of numerous ANC deputies (33) as a move to try to calm the troubled waters caused within some factions of the ANC by the GNU.

source:The big shift in government that could change everything – or nothing at all – BusinessTech