SafekipediaCabinet of South Africa
Adapted from Wikipedia · Adventurer experience
The Cabinet of South Africa is the main group that helps lead the country. It is part of the executive branch, which means it has an important job in running the government.
The Cabinet includes the president, who is the leader of the country, the deputy president, who helps the president, and many ministers who each take care of different areas like health, education, and safety.
This group works together to make big decisions and create laws that affect all people in South Africa. Because they are in charge of so many important things, the Cabinet plays a big role in how the country operates and grows.
The president chooses the members of the Cabinet, and they meet often to discuss what needs to be done to help the country. Their work helps make sure that South Africa stays strong and that the needs of its people are met.
Overview
The cabinet of South Africa is made up of the president, the deputy president, and ministers. The president chooses the deputy president and ministers, gives them their duties, and can also remove them. The deputy president must be a member of the National Assembly.
The president can choose as many ministers as they want. Ministers must come from the National Assembly, but up to two can be chosen from outside it. The deputy president and ministers can be from different political parties, depending on election results or agreements between parties. All cabinet members are responsible to Parliament for their actions.
The president also picks a cabinet member to manage government work in the National Assembly. Deputy ministers help the ministers but are not part of the cabinet. They must also come from the National Assembly. The cabinet guides and runs the government of South Africa.
The president can change the cabinet and deputy ministers’ roles to make the government work better and focus on what’s important for the country. A cabinet member’s job starts when they are officially sworn in, not when they are first announced. Their job ends when a new president is sworn in.
Current cabinet
Main article: 2024 South African government formation
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced his cabinet on 30 June 2024, sixteen days after being elected president. The delay happened because the African National Congress (ANC) only got about 40% of the vote in the May election. President Ramaphosa said that people want parties to work together for change. So, a special team called a Government of National Unity was formed, bringing together many different parties.
This team includes the ANC, Democratic Alliance (DA), Patriotic Alliance (PA), Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), Good Party (Good), Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC), Freedom Front Plus (FF+), United Democratic Movement (UDM), Al Jama-ah, Rise Mzansi (Rise), and UAT. However, UAT left on 12 July 2024 because they did not get any positions in the cabinet. The team works together using a Statement of Intent.
The Cabinet
Main article: Third Cabinet of Cyril Ramaphosa
After the 2024 election, President Ramaphosa announced the cabinet and deputy ministers on 30 June 2024. The current members of the cabinet took office on 3 July 2024.
Deputy Ministers
Deputy ministers help cabinet ministers with their work. They are chosen by the president and are not part of the cabinet. The current deputy ministers also took office on 3 July 2024.
Proportions and ratios of positions as between GNU parties
The tables below show how positions are shared among the parties in the Government of National Unity.
| Party | % of Seats | % Cabinet Members | % Deputy Ministers | % Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANC | 55.2% | 64.7% | 77.5% | 71.6% |
| DA | 30.2% | 17.6% | 12.5% | 14.9% |
| IFP | 5.9% | 5.9% | 5.0% | 5.4% |
| PA | 3.1% | 2.9% | 1.4% | |
| FF+ | 2.1% | 2.9% | 1.4% | |
| UDM | 1.0% | 2.5% | 1.4% | |
| Rise | 0.7% | 0.0% | ||
| Aljama | 0.7% | 2.5% | 1.4% | |
| PAC | 0.3% | 2.9% | 1.4% | |
| Good | 0.3% | 2.9% | 1.4% | |
| Party | Ratio: Cabinet members vs Seats | Ratio: Deputy Ministers vs Seats | Ratio: Cabinet & Deputies vs seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANC | 1.17 | 1.48 | 1.33 |
| DA | 0.58 | 0.44 | 0.51 |
| IFP | 1.00 | 1.00 | 0.47 |
| PA | 0.94 | 0.00 | 0.44 |
| FF+ | 1.41 | 0.00 | 0.67 |
| UDM | 0.00 | 2.53 | 1.33 |
| Rise | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Aljama | 0.00 | 3.79 | 2.00 |
| PAC | 8.47 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
| Good | 8.47 | 0.00 | 4.00 |
Changes to ministerial portfolios from 2009
The president of South Africa can change the jobs that ministers have. This means some jobs might be combined, split, or removed. The table below shows some jobs that are no longer used.
Milestones
In 1989, Rina Venter became the first woman to join the cabinet in South Africa. After the end of apartheid and the first elections for everyone in 1994, Nelson Mandela became the first black president of South Africa.
In 2014, Lynne Brown became the first person who is openly LGBT to serve in the cabinet. In 2019, Cyril Ramaphosa made a cabinet where half the members were women.
Pre-1994 history
On 31 May 1910, Louis Botha became the first prime minister of the new Union of South Africa. He picked the first group of leaders to help him govern after the election on 15 September 1910. For many years, these leaders all came from one group.
Later, in 1924, J. B. M. Hertzog became prime minister and formed a team of leaders with help from another group. In 1934, two big groups joined together to become a new group. After disagreements about the Second World War in 1939, Jan Smuts took over as prime minister and formed a new team of leaders.
In 1948, a different group took control and led the country for many years. On 31 May 1961, South Africa became a republic, and the role of the head of state changed. The prime minister continued to choose the leaders who helped govern. By 1984, the rules changed again, and the state president took on more responsibilities. During this time, some leaders from different groups were included in the team for the first time.
Lists of cabinets since 1910
Here is a list of all the cabinets of South Africa since 1910. Each cabinet is led by a different president or prime minister:
- First Cabinet of Louis Botha, 1910–1915
- Second Cabinet of Louis Botha, 1915–1919
- First Cabinet of Jan Smuts, 1920–1921
- Second Cabinet of Jan Smuts, 1921–1924
- First Cabinet of J.B.M Hertzog, 1924–1929
- Second Cabinet of J.B.M Hertzog, 1929–1933
- Third Cabinet of J.B.M Hertzog, 1933–1938
- Fourth Cabinet of J.B.M Hertzog, 1938–1943
- Third Cabinet of Jan Smuts, 1943–1948
- First Cabinet of D.F. Malan, 1948–1953
- Second Cabinet of D.F. Malan, 1953–1958
- Cabinet of Hans Strydom, 1958–1961
- First Cabinet of Hendrik Verwoerd, 1961–1966
- Second Cabinet of Hendrik Verwoerd, 1966
- First Cabinet of B.J. Vorster, 1966–1970
- Second Cabinet of B.J. Vorster, 1970–1974
- Third Cabinet of B.J. Vorster, 1974–1978
- First Cabinet of P.W. Botha, 1981–1984
- Second Cabinet of P.W. Botha, 1984–1989
- Cabinet of F.W. de Klerk, 1989–1994
- Cabinet of Nelson Mandela, 1994–1999
- First Cabinet of Thabo Mbeki, 1999–2004
- Second Cabinet of Thabo Mbeki, 2004–2008
- Cabinet of Kgalema Motlanthe, 2008–2009
- First Cabinet of Jacob Zuma, 2009–2014
- Second Cabinet of Jacob Zuma, 2014–2018
- First Cabinet of Cyril Ramaphosa, 2018–2019
- Second Cabinet of Cyril Ramaphosa, 2019–2024
- Third Cabinet of Cyril Ramaphosa, 2024–
Related articles
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