The size of the cabinet must be reduced significantly and the presidency overhauled when the new government comes into being, says the Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE).
These, the think-tank says, are important steps towards fixing SA’s weak state. It proposes a smaller, more effective cabinet of about 20 ministers instead of the current 30.
The proposals are contained in a report that forms part of the CDE’s series of reports under its Agenda 2024: Priorities for SA’s New Government. The priorities for action to fix the state are:
- Ensure qualified people are employed in mission-critical jobs in government.
- Drive growth and development by freeing up markets and competition.
- Build a new approach to mass inclusion.
- Deal with the fiscal crisis.
- Strengthen the rule of law.
“Any hope of progress being made by a newly elected government necessitates an effective, streamlined centre of government setting priorities and introducing a new approach to how to govern SA,” CDE executive director Ann Bernstein said.
“This requires a reorganised presidency and a smaller, fit-for-purpose cabinet in which reporting lines are clear, duplication of effort is avoided and everyone is committed to the reform agenda.”
The CDE recognises that there would be a need in a potential coalition government for various parties to be accommodated in the cabinet but says the number of ministers could still be reduced to 20.
In terms of the CDE’s proposals, a number of existing ministries would be combined, for instance a ministry of the economy would combine the departments of trade, industry & competition, mining and tourism. There would be ministries of energy & the environment, and transport, infrastructure, communications & digital technologies.
In terms of the CDE’s proposals there would be no ministers of electricity, public enterprises (as state-owned companies would report to their line departments) and small business development as well as public works and infrastructure, with public works being delegated to provinces and infrastructure included in a new ministry.
“The president must make full use of his constitutional prerogative to appoint two cabinet ministers from outside the National Assembly. This is a crucial mechanism to bring in new leadership and specialist expertise into key positions at a time of national crisis,” Bernstein said.
She noted the previous cabinet’s ability to make evidence-based decisions was weak largely because its processes denied it the necessary information. Cabinet processes should be dramatically improved and the presidency reorganised to ensure a focus on key priorities.
Priorities should be set so that the government focused on doing fewer things well, instead of everything being a priority. “We need to stop the tendency of presidents endlessly updating their list of priorities and announcing new initiatives every time something captures their imagination,” she said.
Structural economic reforms
Operation Vulindlela, a unit in the presidency focused on introducing structural economic reforms, should, in the CDE’s view, be strengthened and reconstituted as a delivery unit focused solely on the delivery of priority reforms. It should absorb the department of planning, monitoring & evaluation and the project management office in the presidency.
The CDE said consideration should also be given to bringing back the Mbeki-era policy co-ordination and advisory services unit in the presidency to focus on risk mitigation and bottlenecks in implementing complex multisectoral policies and ensuring the president is properly briefed on all key proposals on the cabinet’s agenda.
It should also be tasked with playing devil’s advocate regarding policy proposals to cabinet, testing the plausibility of assumptions and costing methods and risks.
“The state’s capacity to develop policies and deliver public services and programmes has been undermined by systemic corruption, too many compromised party loyalists, inadequate skills at critical levels, and a lack of accountability for poor performance and wrongdoing,” said Bernstein.
“At the same time, government has taken on more responsibilities, creating new government departments and public entities. Adding extra layers of bureaucracy and parallel management structures has made it harder to take decisions and co-ordinate key actors to deliver on outcomes.”
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