 Coat of Arms | |
| Overview | |
| Established | 1910 |
| Country |  South Africa |
| Leader | President |
| Appointed by | Cyril Ramaphosa |
| Ministries | 30 |
| Responsible to | President of South Africa |
| Headquarters | Union Buildings, Pretoria |
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|---|
 South Africaportal |
The Cabinet of South Africa is the most senior level of the executive branch of the Government of South Africa. It is made up of the president, the deputy president, and the ministers. [1]
The president appoints the deputy president and ministers; assigns their powers and functions, and may dismiss them. The president may select any number of ministers from the members of the National Assembly, and may select no more than two ministers from outside the assembly. As of 2023 Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Thembi Nkadimeng and Electricity Minister Kgosientso Ramokgopa are the two cabinet ministers who are not members of the National Assembly. While deputy ministers are not members of the cabinet, they are required to assist relevant ministers in the execution of their duties.
A member of the Cabinet is appointed by the president to be the leader of government business in the National Assembly. [2]
On 31 May 1910, former Boer military general and the former prime minister of the Transvaal Colony Louis Botha became the first prime minister of the newly established Union of South Africa—the forerunner of the modern South African state. He appointed the first cabinet of the Union of South Africa after the general election held on 15 September 1910. It consisted of members of the now-defunct South African Party. [3] For the next fourteen years, it only consisted of members of the SAP. Botha died in 1919 and was replaced with another Boer general and SAP member, Jan Smuts. [4]
In 1924, J. B. M. Hertzog of the National Party became prime minister through a coalition with the Labour Party and appointed a cabinet that consisted of National Party and Labour Party members. In 1934, the Hertzog's National Party and the South African Party merged to form the United Party. [5] Hertzog won the 1938 general election, but in 1939 the United Party was divided between supporters of Hertzog and those of his Justice Minister Jan Smuts because of the question of South Africa's role in the Second World War. Hertzog was voted out in the United Party and resigned as prime minister, which allowed Jan Smuts to form a government in coalition with the Dominion Party and the Labour Party. [6] The 1948 general election was won outright by D. F. Malan's Herenigde Nasionale Party and Malan appointed his first cabinet composed of National Party members. For the next forty-six years, South Africa would be governed by the National Party.
On 31 May 1961, South Africa became a republic and Queen Elizabeth II was replaced as head of state with a state president with largely ceremonial powers. [7] The Prime Minister was still head of government and appointed/dismissed members of the cabinet. In 1984, the constitution was amended and the office of prime minister was abolished while the office of state president was given more responsibilities. State president P. W. Botha was now the head of state and head of government. [8] In the 1984 tricameral parliamentary elections, Allan Hendrickse's Labour Party won a majority of seats in the coloured House of Representatives, while Amichand Rajbansi's National People's Party won a plurality of seats in the Indian House of Delegates. [9] Hendrickse and Rajbansi were appointed to serve in Botha's second cabinet as Minister of Coloureds' Affairs and Minister of Indian Affairs, respectively, becoming the first non-white members of the South African cabinet.
In 1989, Rina Venter became the first woman to hold a cabinet post in South African history. [10] Following the end of apartheid and the first multi-racial elections in 1994, Nelson Mandela became the first black president of South Africa and appointed a Government of National Unity consisting of African National Congress, National Party, and Inkatha Freedom Party members. In 1996, the National Party withdrew from the GNU and the cabinet's composition has been dominated by ANC members since then. The Inkatha Freedom Party continued to hold seats in the government, as minority partners, until the elections of 2004. In 2014, Lynne Brown became the first openly LGBT person to serve as a cabinet minister in South Africa and Africa. [11]
In 2019, President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed the first gender-balanced cabinet in South African history. [12]
Cyril Ramaphosa was appointed president of South Africa by parliament on 15 February 2018. [13] On 26 February, he announced a major Cabinet reshuffle, including the appointment of David Mabuza as deputy president. [14] The president announced a cabinet reshuffle on 22 November 2018, following the death of Minister Edna Molewa and the resignation of Malusi Gigaba. [15] On 29 May 2019, following the 2019 general election, President Ramaphosa announced a new cabinet in which the number of ministers was reduced from 36 to 28. [16] On 5 August 2021, Cyril Ramaphosa announced another major Cabinet Reshuffle following the resignation of Minister Zweli Mkhize and Minister Tito Mboweni. The reshuffle also comes after the death of Minister Jackson Mthembu and deputy minister Bavilile Hlongwa. On 6 March 2023, Ramaphosa announced a major cabinet reshuffle following the resignation of David Mabuza as deputy president. [17]
Deputy ministers are appointed by the president of South Africa. They are not members of the cabinet. They assist cabinet ministers in the execution of their duties. As of September 2021, these are the deputy ministers of South Africa. [18]
| Post | Deputy Minister | Term |
|---|---|---|
| Deputy Minister of Basic Education | Reginah Mhaule | May 2019 – present |
| Deputy Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies | Philly Mapulane | August 2021 – present |
| Deputy Minister of Correctional Services | Patekile Holomisa | May 2019 – present |
| Deputy Minister of Defence and Military Veterans | Thabang Makwetla | May 2019 – present |
| Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour | Boitumelo Moloi | May 2019 – present |
| Deputy Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries | Maggie Sotyu | May 2019 – present |
| Deputy Minister of Finance | David Masondo | May 2019 – present |
| Deputy Minister of Health | Sibongiseni Dhlomo | August 2021 – present |
| Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology | Buti Manamela | October 2017 – present |
| Deputy Minister of Home Affairs | Njabulo Nzuza | May 2019 – present |
| Deputy Minister of Human Settlements | Pam Tshwete | August 2021 – present |
| Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation | Candith Mashego-Dlamini Alvin Botes | May 2019 – present |
| Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development | John Jeffery | October 2013 – present |
| Deputy Minister of Land Reform | Mcebisi Skwatsha | May 2014 – present |
| Deputy Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy | Nobuhle Nkabane | August 2021 – present |
| Deputy Minister of Police | Cassel Mathale | May 2019 – present |
| Deputy Minister of Public Enterprises | Obed Bapela | March 2023 – present |
| Deputy Minister of Public Service and Administration | Chana Pilane-Majake | August 2021 – present |
| Deputy Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure | Bernice Swarts | March 2023 – present |
| Deputy Minister of Rural Development | Rosemary Capa | August 2021 – present |
| Deputy Minister of Small Business Development | Dipuo Peters | March 2023 – present |
| Deputy Minister of Social Development | Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu | May 2014 – present |
| Deputy Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture | Nocawe Mafu | May 2019 – present |
| Deputy Minister of Tourism | Fish Mahlalela | May 2019 – present |
| Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry | Fikile Majola Nomalungelo Gina | May 2019 – present |
| Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs | Parks Tau Zolile Burns-Ncamashe | March 2023 – present |
| Deputy Minister of Transport | Lisa Mangcu | March 2023 – present |
| Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation | David Mahlobo Judith Tshabalala | August 2021 – present March 2023 – present |
| Deputy Minister in the Presidency (Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities) | Sisisi Tolashe | March 2023 – present |
| Deputy Minister in The Presidency | Nomasonto Motaung Kenneth Morolong | March 2023 – present |
The president may restructure cabinet at his discretion, meaning that ministerial portfolios may be changed or dissolved. [19] Defunct ministerial portfolios include:
Jan Hendrik Hofmeyr was a South African politician and intellectual in the years preceding apartheid. In his lifetime he was regarded as one of the cleverest men in the country, and it was widely expected that he would eventually become Prime Minister of South Africa. He came from a well-known Afrikaner family; his uncle, also Jan Hendrik Hofmeyr but known affectionately as "Onze Jan" among fellow Afrikaners, was a famous figure in the Afrikaans language movement.
Jan Christiaan Smuts, OM served served as Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa from 1919 to 1924 and from 1939 to 1948. He played a leading part in the post war settlements at the end of both world wars, making significant contributions towards the creation of both the League of Nations and the United Nations.
Grace Naledi Mandisa Pandor is a South African politician, educator and academic serving as the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation since 2019. She has served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the African National Congress (ANC) since 1994.
The Minister of Justice and Correctional Services is the justice minister in the government of South Africa. He is the political head of the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DoJCD), the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), and the Office of the Chief Justice. DoJCD is responsible for administrative support to the courts, oversight of the National Prosecuting Authority, the provision of legal services to departments of state, and law reform; and DSC is responsible for prisons and community corrections programmes.
David Mabuza is a South African politician who served as deputy president of South Africa from February 2018 to February 2023. He was the deputy president of the African National Congress (ANC) from December 2017 to December 2022 and was previously the premier of Mpumalanga from 2009 to 2018, throughout the presidency of his former political ally Jacob Zuma. Mabuza served as a Member of Parliament from 2018 until his resignation in 2023.
Edward Senzo Mchunu is a South African politician currently serving as Minister of Water and Sanitation since 5 August 2021. A member of the African National Congress (ANC), he was formerly the Minister of Public Service and Administration from 30 May 2019 to 5 August 2021 and the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal from 22 August 2013 until 23 May 2016.
The Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy is a minister in the cabinet of the South African national government. The portfolio was called the Ministry of Minerals and Energy until May 2009, when President Jacob Zuma split it into two separate portfolios under the Ministry of Mining and the Ministry of Energy. Ten years later, in May 2019, his successor President Cyril Ramaphosa reunited the portfolios as the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy.
Buti Kgwaridi Manamela is a South African politician who is currently serving as the Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology since October 2017. He was formerly the Deputy Minister in the Presidency from 2014 to 2017, and he has represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly since May 2009.
Stella Tembisa Ndabeni-Abrahams is a South African politician who is currently serving as the Minister of Small Business Development since 5 August 2021. She previously served as Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies from November 2018 to August 2021. She is a member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) and a National Working Committee (NWC) of the African National Congress (ANC).
Kopeng Obed Bapela is a South African politician who is currently serving as the Deputy Minister of Public Enterprises since 6 March 2023. Before that, he was Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs from 2014 to 2023. A member of the African National Congress (ANC), he has been a member of the National Assembly since 2002 and a deputy minister since 2010.
Hlengiwe Buhle Mkhize was a South African politician who served as Minister of Higher Education and Training and Minister of Home Affairs under President Jacob Zuma. A member of the National Assembly and national executive since May 2009, she was Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities when she died in September 2021.
Tokozile Xasa is a South African politician who was the Minister of Sport and Recreation from February 2018 to May 2019. Before that, she was the Minister of Tourism from March 2017 to February 2018. A member of the National Assembly between 2009 and 2019, she took office as South African Ambassador to Belgium in February 2021.
Mondli Gungubele is a South African politician, trade union leader and educator who is the current Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies and a member of the National Assembly of South Africa for the African National Congress. He previously served as Executive Mayor of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (2010–2016), as Deputy Minister of Finance (2018–2019), as Chairperson of the Social Development Committee (2019–2021) and as Minister in the Presidency (2021–2023).
Mathume Joseph Phaahla is a South African politician who is currently serving as the Minister of Health since August 2021. He was formerly the Deputy Minister of Health from May 2014 to August 2021. He had been a deputy minister since May 2009, when he joined the National Assembly. He is also a member of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress (ANC).
Makgabo Reginah Mhaule is a South African politician from Mpumalanga who is currently serving as Deputy Minister of Basic Education. She has represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly since 2018.
Kwati Candith Mashego-Dlamini is a South African politician from Mpumalanga. She has been the Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation since May 2019, and she formerly served as Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform from 2014 to 2019.
Sindisiwe Lydia Chikunga is a South African politician who is serving as the Minister of Transport since March 2023. A member of the African National Congress, she has been a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa since 2004. Chikunga had previously served as Deputy Minister of Transport twice, from 2012 to 2019 and again from 2021 to 2023, and as Deputy Minister of Public Service and Administration from 2019 until 2021. She is a midwife by profession.
Pamela Tshwete is a South African politician from the Eastern Cape. She is currently serving as Deputy Minister of Human Settlements since August 2021. She has been a member of the National Assembly since 2002 and a deputy minister since 2013.
Mmamoloko Tryphosa Kubayi is a South African politician who is the Minister of Human Settlements and a Member of the National Assembly for the African National Congress (ANC). She is also the current head of the African National Congress's economic transformation subcommittee in the national executive committee (NEC). She was the Minister of Energy in 2017, the Minister of Communications from 2017 to 2018, the Minister of Science and Technology from 2018 to 2019, and the Minister of Tourism from 2019 to 2021.
