By: Bright Ntuli
President Cyril Ramaphosa has defended the role of deputy ministers, despite criticism over their high cost to taxpayers.
Ramaphosa has told Parliament that deputy ministers continue to add value to government work. ActionSA’s Athol Trollip has argued that the 42 deputy ministers are a wasteful expense and serve as patronage.
Ramaphosa has however admitted that he would prefer a smaller executive but says the need to accommodate the government of national unity required a broader cabinet.
“All my colleagues in the GNU, accepted that yes it would have been ideal to have a much smaller executive. I have seen how ministers and deputy ministers go about executing their task. It is what we have, and we need to keep moving forward,” said Ramaphosa.
