ActionSA's Trollip: Deputy ministers are redundant doormen and doorwomen for their ministers
The party has announced a Constitutional Amendment Bill to change the size and structure of the cabinet.
FILE: ActionSA's parliamentary caucus held a press briefing at Parliament in Cape Town on 3 April 2025 to discuss the next steps in the budget process. Picture: Lindsay Dentlinger/EWN
CAPE TOWN - ActionSA said the country could save more than R1 billion of taxpayers per annum if President Cyril Ramaphosa could get rid of all deputy ministers in his Cabinet.
The party has announced a Constitutional Amendment Bill to change the size and structure of the Cabinet.
Among other things, the party wants all 43 deputy minister posts scrapped.
This follows the president's decision to place Police Minister Senzo Mchunu on special leave for alleged interference in police investigations.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Professor Firoz Cachalia as acting minister, despite there being two deputy ministers in the portfolio.
ActionSA MP Athol Trollip said this makes their case.
"There's absolutely no executive authority that a deputy minister has, so I'm saying they're redundant doormen and doorwomen for their ministers. In fact, all we've seen in this new GNU government is that deputy ministers spend most of their time travelling abroad and have spent nearly R200 million between them on travelling abroad. If they had so much to do at home in their departments, they wouldn’t be overseas so much."