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Maimane: ‘Streamlined‚ delivery-oriented cabinet could save SA R4.6bn a year’

Mmusi Maimane wants government to go on a diet.

The “bloated” government‚ were he the country’s leader‚ would face Operation Hlasela Mafutha – or “Cut the Fat”.

That’s the name of the Democratic Alliance’s (DA)’s plan to “streamline government to make it less costly and more efficient”‚ which the party’s leader addressed the Cape Town Press Club about on Thursday morning.

That plan would effect a saving of “R4.6-billion per year simply by re-organising the executive into a streamlined‚ delivery-oriented cabinet of 15 ministries”‚ Maimane claimed.

Maimane listed the DA’s proposed portfolios:

1. Employment & Enterprise

2. Economic Infrastructure

3. Finance

4. Basic Education

5. Further Education‚ Skills & Innovation

6. Health and Social Development

7. Integrated Planning and Service Delivery

8. Police

9. Local and Provincial Government

10. Home Affairs

11. Agriculture and Land Reform

12. Justice and Correctional Services

13. Environment

14. Foreign Affairs

15. Defence

“Let’s be honest: our cabinet has become obscene. The staff‚ the bodyguards‚ the luxury cars‚ the first-class flights‚ the food‚ the office refurbishments and the five-star hotel stays‚” said the presidential hopeful.

“All status‚ no substance‚ and at the cost of billions of rands.”

He said SA had “one of the largest cabinets in the world”‚ with a president‚ deputy president and 35 ministers and 37 deputy ministers making up an “executive of 74 people”.

Maimane compared this to 1994‚ when the cabinet consisted of 17 ministries‚ which was reduced to just 16 two years later ‚ before under President Thabo Mbeki “this ballooned to 28 ministries”‚ and under President Jacob Zuma “consists of a massive 35 ministries”.

“The reason we have a super-sized cabinet is because our government has a super-sized patronage network. The only way to ease tensions between factions and reward loyalty is through the offer of a powerful‚ high-paying job‚” said Maimane.

“Like frequent flyer miles‚ ‘The Cabinet’ has become nothing more than an expensive ‘loyalty rewards programme’.”

“Salaries‚ housing and car allowances‚ travel allowances and VIP protection services for all 74 members of the Executive make this an extravagance we can ill afford. In fact‚ our spend on VIP protection alone amounted to more than R2-billion last year.”

While some “ministries‚ such as Finance‚ Police‚ Home Affairs‚ and Defence would remain unchanged”‚ Maimane suggested the some mergers of others:

- The “brand new Employment and Enterprise Ministry would be made up of Trade and Industry‚ Small Business Development‚ Economic Development‚ Mineral Resources‚ Tourism and Labour” with “one goal‚ and that is to grow jobs”;

- The Ministry of Economic Infrastructure would …encompass‚ among others‚ the old Ministries of Communications‚ Telecommunications & Postal Services and Transport”; and

- “Combining the Human Settlements and Water & Sanitation with the Expanded Public Works Programme as well as various programmes from the Department of Public Works‚ we will create a Ministry of Integrated Planning and Service Delivery”.

“Imagine how refreshing it would be if President Zuma announced a bold government-wide waste cutting programme like this in next week’s State of the Nation Address. What a signal it would send out about the seriousness of our fiscal situation‚” ended Maimane.