President Ramaphosa announces reconfigured departments to align with Ministries

At the time of the announcement, the President had committed to a process of further reforms to “promote coherence, better coordination and improved efficiency” of government.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has given the details of his much-awaited reconfigured national executive.

Four days after being sworn into office, the President on 29 May announced the appointment of a reconfigured national executive following the recently held General Election.

At the time of the announcement, the President had committed to a process of further reforms to “promote coherence, better coordination and improved efficiency” of government. 

As part of these measures, the President has commenced with the process to conclude performance agreements with Ministers and Deputy Ministers.

To strengthen accountability, President Ramaphosa has further directed that the areas of responsibility of all Deputy Ministers must be clearly delineated. 

In a statement on Friday, the Presidency said in departments with two Deputy Ministers, the Ministers will be responsible for the overall functioning of the Ministry and Department. Under the Minister’s direction and guidance, the responsibilities between the Deputy Ministers are delineated as follows:

Ministry of Agriculture Land Reform and Rural Development

•    Land Reform - Deputy Minister Mcebisi Skwatsha

•    Rural Development - Deputy Minister Sdumo Dlamini

Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs

•    Local Government - Deputy Minister Parks Tau

•    Traditional Affairs - Deputy Minister Obed Bapela

Ministry of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation

•    Human Settlements - Deputy Minister Pam Tshwete

•    Water and Sanitation - Deputy Minister David Mahlobo

Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services

•    Correctional Services - Deputy Minister Nkosi Phathekile Holomisa

•    Justice and Constitutional Development - Deputy Minister John Jeffery 

Announcements relating to the Ministries of International Relations and Cooperation and Trade and Industry will be made in due course.

Making the most of departments

The President has further announced the reconfiguration of old departments or the establishment of new departments to align them with the Ministries. 

Some departments remain mainly unchanged but require changes to nomenclature to conform to Ministerial portfolio designations. The total number of departments has been reduced by five, stemming from mergers and the transfer of functions. 

The Ministers will oversee the following departments and entities, as per their delegated portfolios:

The Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development is responsible for the newly reconstituted Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD). This is a new department arising from a merger between the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) and the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR).

The Minister of Basic Education is responsible for the Department of Basic Education (DBE).  The DBE will lead an integrated ECD function in collaboration with the Department of Social Development (DSD) and the Department of Health (DoH).

The Minister of Communications is responsible for the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT). This is a new department arising from a merger between the Department of Communications (DOC) and the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services (DTPS).

The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs is responsible for the Department of Cooperative Governance (DCoG) and the Department of Traditional Affairs (DTA)

The Minister of Defence and Military Veterans is responsible for the Department of Defence (DoD) and the Department of Military Veterans (DMV).

The Minister of the Environment, Forestry and Fisheries is responsible for the Department of the Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF). This department arises from the transfer of the functions of forestry and fisheries from the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

The Minister of Employment and Labour is responsible for the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL). This department will coordinate all government efforts to create jobs and reduce unemployment and will be required to change its approach from mere compliance enforcement to facilitating job creation.

The Minister of Finance is responsible for the National Treasury (NT), the South African Revenue Services (SARS) and the Government Pensions Administration Agency. The Infrastructure Development Management System (IDMS) function, currently under the National Treasury, is transferred to the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure.    The Minister of Health is responsible for the Department of Health (DoH)

The Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology is responsible for the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI)

The Minister of Home Affairs is responsible for the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) and the Government Printing Works (GPW)

The Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation is responsible for the Department of Human Settlements (DHS) and the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) 

The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation is responsible for the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO). 

The Minister of Justice and Correctional Services is responsible for the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DoJ&CD), the Department of Correctional Services (DCS), and the Office of the Chief Justice (OCJ).

The Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy is responsible for the new Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE). This department arises from a merger between the Department of Mineral Resources and the Department of Energy.

The Minister of Police is responsible for the South African Police Service (SAPS), the Independent Police Investigation Directorate (IPID) and the Civilian Secretariat for the Police Service (CSPS)

The Minister in the Presidency is responsible for the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) including the National Planning Secretariat, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA) and Brand SA

The Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities is responsible for the new Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD) and the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA). The DWYPD arises from the transfer of the youth function from the DPME and the function of people with disabilities from the Department of Social Development.

The Minister of Public Enterprises is responsible for the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE). 

The Minister for the Public Service and Administration is responsible for the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA), the National School of Government (NSG) and the Centre for Public Service Innovation (CPSI).

The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure is responsible for the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI). Over and above what it was previously responsible for, the department will assume coordinating responsibility for all public infrastructure development. 

The Minister of Small Business Development is responsible for the Department of Small Business Development (DSBD)

The Minister of Social Development is responsible for the Department of Social Development (DSD). 

The Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture is responsible for the new Department of Sports, Arts and Culture (DSAC). This department arises from a merger between the Department of Sport and Recreation and the Department of Arts and Culture.

The Minister of State Security is responsible for the State Security Agency (SSA). Processes are already underway to reorganize the SSA, based on the recommendations of the Review Panel Report on the State Security Agency. These changes will be communicated in due course.

The Minister of Tourism is responsible for the Department of Tourism (DT).

The Minister of Trade and Industry is responsible for the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic). The Economic Development Department (EDD) is disestablished and incorporated into the dti. The Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Commission (PICC) is transferred from the EDD to the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI).

The Minister of Transport is responsible for the Department of Transport (DoT) 

The President is, in line with the Public Service Act, the Executive Authority of the department, The Presidency. 

The Public Service Commission is responsible for the department, the Office of the Public Service Commission (OPSC).

The better governance structure for SOEs

All State-owned entities, development finance institutions (DFIs) and national regulatory institutions attached to ministries and departments of the Fifth Administration will move to the relevant ministries and departments of the Sixth Administration in line with the reconfiguration indicated above. 

National Macro Organisation of the Government (NMOG) governance structures have been set up to support the reconfiguration process. Consultation and ongoing communications shall be undertaken with the affected departments, clients and organised labour.

The redesign of organisational structures is limited to the realignment of macro organisational structures and exclude restructuring. Staff will transfer to new departments with their existing conditions of service. 

The reconfiguration of the national government in the sixth administration has seen a reduction of five departments from the fifth administration, stemming from mergers and the transfer of functions. To summarise what is stated above, the following ten departments are merged into five departments respectively:

The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (without the forestry and fisheries portfolios) is merged with the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform to form the new Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development (DALRRD);

The Department of Communications and the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services are merged to form the new Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT);

The Department of Mineral Resources and the Department of Energy are merged to form the new Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE);

The Department of Sport and Recreation and the Department of Arts and Culture are merged to form the new Department of Sports, Arts and Culture (DSAC), and

The Economic Development Department is merged into the Department of Trade and Industry to form the new Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic).

As previously stated by His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa, the project of reconfiguring government and the state is an ongoing process and there will be continuing review and monitoring of the work of the new departments. 

(With Inputs from South African Government Press Release)