ActionSA Tables Constitution Amendment To Abolish Deputy Ministers, SA Weighs In
- ActionSA has tabled an amendment to the Constitution of South Africa that seeks to tackle what it considers a bloated cabinet
- The party believes that the cabinet has more deputy ministers than it needs and seeks to trim the number of cabinet members
- ActionSA also tabled other amendments, and South Africans debated the validity of the proposed changes
Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist based in Johannesburg, South Africa, has covered policy changes, cabinet reshuffles, the State of the Nation Address, Parliamentary Proceedings, and politician-related news, as well as elections, at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News for over seven years.
Source: Getty Images
JOHANNESBURG —South Africans debated the proposed amendments to the constitution that ActionSA intends to introduce in Parliament.
The party's national chairperson, Michael Beaumont, posted on his @ME_Beaumont X account a notice of intention to introduce a Private Members Bill and an invitation for comment on the draft Constitution Twenty-Second Amendment Bill on behalf of the party's Parliamentary Leader, Athol Trollip. The party is proposing three changes to the Constitution.
What did ActionSA propose?
The party's draft bill aims to abolish the office of Deputy Minister. It proposed to provide for meaningful proactive oversight over ministerial appointments to ensure that ministers are fit for purpose before they are appointed. ActionSA also proposed to empower the National Assembly to pass a motion of no confidence in a minister.
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Trollip believes that the country's executive is excessively large and places an unnecessary financial strain on the fiscus.
"The office of Deputy Minister is superfluous as it primarily serves as an instrument of political patronage rather than an essential governance role. Furthermore, the President currently has unfettered discretion in appointing ministers, with no parliamentary oversight or prior vetting process that needs to be followed in such appointments," Trollip said.
Read the X notice here:
Ministers hired, fired, and suspended
On 13 July, President Cyril Ramaphosa placed Senzo Mchunu on a special leave of absence as the police minister after KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi accused him of politically interfering with the running of the South African Police Service in 2024. Ramaphosa announced that former Gauteng Economic Development MEC Professor Firoz Cachalia would be appointed the acting Minister of Police.
Ramaphosa also fired the former Minister of Higher Education, Dr Nobuhle Nkabane, on 21 July after she irregularly appointed Sector Education and Authority board chairpersons. She was also criticised for her conduct when she was called to appear before the Portfolio committee on Higher Education to account for her irregular appointment.
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South Africans debate
Netizens commenting on Beaumont's X tweet discussed the notice.
Genghis Khan said:
"Big parties will not support this as it defeats patronage. But good luck."
Phakwathwayo Gumede said:
"I agree with the first two, but approval of a minister appointment sounds more like usurping executive powers. Parliament has the constitutional wherewithal to hold ministers accountable. It just doesn't want to."
Beaumont responded:
"It is a fair point to raise, but it is a measure that would prevent a president from nominating a compromised minister with impunity— basically what has been done for years."
MK Party Stan said:
"The last one is a big no! Why have a president if the Parliament needs to approve the appointment of ministers?"
Keshan Naidoo said:
"Not sure about point thee. Every appointment will be a long, cumbersome procedure, dragging on for months."
MK Party wants vote of no confidence to be secret ballot
In a related article, Briefly News reported that the Mkhonto Wesizwe Party submitted a request for a motion of no confidence to Parliamentary speaker Thoko Didiza. The party is unhappy with the current condition of the economy, rising crime, and national security failures.
The party said the ballot should be secret to safeguard the integrity of the process. It will also protect against intimidation, and the third reason was based on the Constitutional Court ruling in 2017, where the court affirmed that the speaker had the discretion to allow a secret ballot.
Source: Briefly News
