President Ramaphosa unveiled a new cabinet, reducing the number of ministers from 36 to 28 by combining numerous departments.
Following the death of Minister Edna Molewa and the resignation of Malusi Gigaba, the President announced a cabinet reshuffle on November 22, 2018.
The Cabinet of South Africa is the highest level of the executive arm of the South African government. It consists of the President, the Vice President, and the Ministers.
The President appoints the Deputy President and ministries, delegated authorities and responsibilities to them, and has the authority to remove them. The President may choose any number of ministers from among the members of the National Parliament, but no more than two from outside the assembly. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana and Trade and Industry Minister Ebrahim Patel are the two cabinet ministers who are not National Assembly members as of 2021. While Deputy Ministers are not members of the cabinet, they are obligated to assist relevant Ministers in the performance of their tasks.
The President appoints a Cabinet member to be the head of government business in the National Assembly.
The Departments of Trade and Industry and Economic Development were amalgamated.
The Department of Science and Technology merged with the Department of Higher Education and Training.
The Department of Environmental Affairs and the Department of Forestry and Fisheries were merged.
The Agriculture Department was merged with the Land Reform and Rural Development Department.
The Mineral Resources Department was merged into the Department of Energy.
From 2019 to 2021, the Department of Human Settlements was united with the Department of Water and Sanitation before being split again.
The Sports and Recreation Department was merged into the Arts and Culture Department.
Who is South Africa’s longest-serving minister?
Radebe was South Africa’s longest-standing cabinet member after 1994, serving in every national administration from 1994 until the 2019 election.
