28 June
Blaai af vir Afrikaanse weergawe.
In light of the protracted negotiations to form a Government of National Unity (GNU), the Free Market Foundation (FMF) has proposed that South Africa’s current, bloated Cabinet should be reduced from 31 portfolios to only 10 ministries.
According to the FMF, the size of the Cabinet, in particular the large bureaucracy and contingent of civil servants represented by each portfolio is a significant burden on the economy. Consequently, reducing the size of government is more important than which particular party controls a department at any given time.
‘The FMF is concerned that the untenable size of government will remain unchanged under the new administration,’ says David Ansara, Chief Executive Officer of the FMF. ‘Instead of horse-trading over which party gets which portfolio, the negotiators should instead focus on shrinking the bloated state.’
‘The South African national government currently engages in a lot of activities that could and should be done by communities, businesses, and civil society groups,’ Ansara continued.
The text of the Constitution, the FMF argues, only mandates the existence of the Cabinet portfolios of President, Deputy President, Finance, Cooperative Governance, Justice, Defence, and Police, but additional portfolios are required by necessary implication.
‘Those portfolios that are not required explicitly or implicitly by the Constitution are simply discretionary – and South Africa has too many of these discretionary portfolios, costing the taxpayer billions,’ says Martin van Staden, Head of Policy at the FMF. ‘With this proposal, we seek to show that reform is possible without drastic interventions such as a constitutional amendment.’
The FMF reiterates its September 2023 proposal, that the current 31-member Cabinet, including the ministers in the Presidency, be constitutionally and responsibly reduced to only 10 bureaucracies, by consolidation, devolution to provinces and municipalities, and outright scrapping.
The new Cabinet, if the proposal is adopted, would be organised as follows:
These recommendations emanate from the FMF’s Liberty First: A policy agenda for the 2024-2029 parliamentary term proposal, which was launched on 26 June 2024.
Click here for the full policy agenda.
Click here for a soundbite by David Ansara.
Ends.
Press enquiries
Anneke Burns
FMF Publicist
0714230079 | press@fmfsa.org
***
Sny die kabinet van 31 tot 10 ministeries, sê FMF
28 Junie
Scroll up for English version.
In die lig van die uitgerekte onderhandelinge om ‘n Regering van Nasionale Eenheid (RNE) te vorm, het die Vryemarkstigting (FMF) voorgestel dat Suid-Afrika se huidige, opgeblase Kabinet van 31 portefeuljes tot slegs 10 ministeries verminder moet word.
Volgens die FMF is die grootte van die Kabinet, veral die groot burokrasie en gepaardgaande reeks staatsamptenare wat deur elke portefeulje verteenwoordig word, ‘n aansienlike las op die ekonomie. Gevolglik is die vermindering van die grootte van die regering belangriker as watter spesifieke party ‘n departement op enige gegewe tydstip beheer.
‘Die FMF is bekommerd dat die onhoudbare grootte van die regering onveranderd sal bly onder die nuwe administrasie,’ sê David Ansara, Hoof Uitvoerende Beampte van die FMF. ‘Pleks van kibbel oor watter party watter portefeulje kry, moet die onderhandelaars eerder daarop fokus om die opgeblase staat te verklein.’
‘Die Suid-Afrikaanse nasionale regering is tans betrokke by baie aktiwiteite wat deur gemeenskappe, besighede, en groepe in die burgerlike samelewing kan en behoort gedoen te word,’ het Ansara voortgegaan.
Die teks van die Grondwet, voer die FMF aan, vereis slegs die bestaan van die kabinetsportefeuljes van president, adjunkpresident, finansies, samewerkende regering, justisie, verdediging, en polisie, maar bykomende portefeuljes word by noodsaaklike implikasie vereis.
‘Daardie portefeuljes wat nie eksplisiet of implisiet deur die Grondwet vereis word nie, is bloot diskresionêr – en Suid-Afrika het te veel van hierdie diskresionêre portefeuljes wat die belastingbetaler miljarde kos,’ sê Martin van Staden, Beleidshoof by die FMF. ‘Met hierdie voorstel poog ons om te wys dat hervorming moontlik is sonder drastiese ingrypings soos ‘n grondwetwysiging.’
Die FMF herhaal sy voorstel van September 2023, dat die huidige Kabinet van 31 lede, insluitend die ministers in die Presidensie, grondwetlik en verantwoordelik tot slegs 10 burokrasieë verminder word, deur konsolidasie, afwenteling na provinsies en munisipaliteite, en volstrekte skrapping.
Die nuwe Kabinet, indien die voorstel aanvaar word, sal soos volg georganiseer word:
Hierdie aanbevelings spruit voort uit die FMF se Liberty First: A policy agenda for South Africa’s 2024-2029 parliamentary term, wat op 26 Junie 2024 bekendgestel is.
Klik hier vir die volledige beleidsagenda.
Klik hier vir ‘n klankgreep (in Engels) deur David Ansara.
Einde.
Persnavrae
Anneke Burns
FMF Publisiteitsbeampte
0714230079 | press@fmfsa.org
