Very big, very bloated, but will the government of national unity Cabinet be better?

A well diversified cabinet which reflects the will of voters from a statistical proportion, the ladies and gentlemen must hit the ground running. It's time for the all time mourners to take a break the DA and ANC are in government as we anticipated and it's what the situation demands. Those who still want to complain must learn to win with two thirds majority.

Interesting developments lets see if it holds and what benefit can come to the country now

Agree but you are far more upbeat than I feel. The potential for wasted expenditure and conflict between ministers is epic. Lets watch this space; is there less wiggle room for corruption when the opposition is seated at the next desk.?

Ramaphosa struggles to distinguish growth from development in his cabinet appointments. Growth is a quantitative increase in numbers. Development is a qualitative improvement in the output of the cabinet which is what South Africans are crying for. A graveyard might grow in the number of bodies underground but this does not mean it develops. A bloated, overfilled, rent seeking and incompetent cabinet grows but does not develop.

Proof again that you can't leave the leadership of a country to the politicians. Sure, we should perhaps give them, particularly the newer younger ones a chance to prove themselves, but a cabinet position should not be seen as an internship. And heaven help anyone involved in Arts , Culture and Sport, if they are expecting any government support worthy of the name. Once again, the real needs of the country are sacrificed on the altar of expediency, which was probably inevitable once the idea of the GNU was birthed. But the bottom line is that the world is so technologically and socially complex that we can no longer have, usually bungling and often worse, amateurs in charge of critical government portfolios. It is time for a real constitutional amendment to allow for the cabinet to be comprised of seasoned, experienced professional leaders in each field to head up the ministries. In other words a cabinet of professionals, not politicians. They would be people probably in the later years of illustrious careers who are willing to give 5 years of their lives to serve their country. A team of 20 such professionals - perhaps with politicians as deputies - would be all that is needed. We will need to think more than a bit radically to get ourselves out of the political morass we, and the rest of the world, find ourselves in. As it is, we are going nowhere.

Very low energy choices for the DSD, a department desperate for inspiration and young ideas, but this appears to be a ministerial reserved spot for ANCWL big wigs and now Al Jamal!

A thought about atytaching to an expected to desired outcome:

A thought about being attached to an outcome we want (like winning the T20 World Cup, or our idea of what the Cabinet should look like): "Being overly attached to the outcome of something can lead to increased stress, impaired decision-making, reduced flexibility, decreased satisfaction, strained relationships, risk of burnout, and loss of creativity. It's crucial to balance your focus on outcomes with an appreciation for the process and the flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances. Practising mindfulness and maintaining a growth mindset can help you stay grounded and open to new possibilities, ensuring a healthier and more fulfilling journey."

DA was completely outdated in the negotiations for this cabinet, they have gained nothing of significance and are now proposing up the ANC. I was very hopefully after Friday's kerfuffle that they would get significant economic influence, alas. Mantashe in charge of minerals also a loss by the DA. My hope is thoroughly trampled.

Reinventing democracy African style - "government for itself at the expense of the people". Ramaphosa cowardice or obligations are apparent in serving the indefensible and incompetence of, at the very least, Mantashe, Moshekga, and Nzimande. Also set up for conflict, gridlock at very least, is every portfolio where the deputy is from a different party to the minister. Ramaphosa has literally set the 'grand coalition' government up for failure and they bought it for their 20 pieces of silver!

In your infographic, you used Mimi Gondwe's picture twice, instead of a picture of Thandi Moraka.

As the notion of coalition or (GNU) dictates- loyal opposition will come at a cost to the nation. Undecided national will produce bloated structures and undetermined political beasts

Ferial, your arithmetic is a bit out when you state that the ANC should get only 40% of the cabinet seats because that was the size of their vote. Because onlky about 75% of parliament is in the GNU, that means that, if estimated only arithmetically, the ANC should get 40/75% of the places. Which equals 53%. So they are over that "entitlement", but by less than you state

Don't you find the Mckenzie appointment a good fit since he aleays comes across as cultured person with a deep love of the Arts.

The false premise was that belonging to a GNU means being given a ministerial position. Support from a 0.25% party should be met with thank you, not a job. In addition the individuals ( hardly parties) who were one day lined up with the EFF / MK "progressive" caucus hammering the GNU but next day, seeing where their bread was buttered, joined the GNU, were rewarded for their transparent show of opportunism. (UDM, PAC and the Muslim party)

A huge, bloated and unwieldy cabinet of ministers and deputies. If this monster was running a company, it would fail.

Let all South Africans pray that all the minister and deputies, of whatever political persuasions, consider the best for our country and all who live here. Let them put aside their egos and commitment to their party and act on what is best for everyone. Let us also pray that any and all forces trying to destabilise the government are thwarted in their own selfish ambitions. May God bless South Africa.

The US has the largest economy on the planet and manages with only 15 cabinet posts. Why does little SA need more than twice that many? Asking for a friend.

I predict the GNU will split fairly soon. This is a mockery of democracy when tiny parties like PAC, GOOD, FF+, Al Jamal are in cabinet. How will they criticize issues that need criticism from inside the government? How does cabinet work? As I have it, it is not like a company board where 13 directors meet and 7 vote something in. The ANC culture is consensus, so this cabinet will be a lame duck do nothing decide nothing talk festival.

What a waste of a golden opportunity...ALL of the parties have failed South Africa. Surely, we deserve better than this mess?

The absence of Bheki Cele gives cause for great celebration. As does the replacements of Blade Nzimande and Angie Motshega in education which may now actually succeed in forward motion. Gwede Mantashe appears to have been moved sideways instead of receiving a well deserved demotion. At least the Eskom job is now out of his inept grip. Ramaphosa has once again been hopelessly weak and unable to desist from a job-for-buddies bent which is now going to cost tax payers a lot more. Billionaire logic at work.

Gwede the human wrecking ball still there with alas support from another party loyalist. God help our oceans and environment

In what world was Aaron Motsoaledi a good health minister?

As a normal voter that had so much hope for a Govt. of national unity it is obviously not going to last because the will of the people is not reflected in this Govt. The ANC with 57% of the vote in the GNU gives it self 65% of the ministers and 77% of the deputies, the DA with 31% of the vote only get 18% of the ministers and 14% of the deputies. With the other parties it seems about right. The Cabinet is also way to big and inflated for a country with so many poor. Ramaphosa prepare yourself for a motion of no confidence in the not to distant future. What an opportunity missed. Hello poverty.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Not much to inspire great confidence in changes to the modus operandi of the ANC. Perhaps a bit less corruption, and thank goodness, no arrogant Mr (Useless) Cele (ex-Police), and no Ms (Pompous) Pandor, but still we have to put up with Angie (Do Nothing) Motshekga, Blade (Very Blunt) Ndzimande, and Gwede (Fossil Fool) Mantashe. At least Angie can't mess up the Defence Force anymore than it is already messed up, but Blade and 'Science and Technology' are strangers, and Gwede will be digging his own grave in the next 5 years in a portfolio that is too important for a mining country to leave to an old school communist. Squirrel has ensured that he has loaded the cabinet to ensure that the GNU will definitely continue to follow ANC strategy while there may be improvements in the service delivery brought about by the inclusion of the non-ANC cabinet members. The imbalance in the appointments mean that the ANC has 20 out of 32 Ministers and 33 out of 43 Deputies - hardly a government of national unity, rather a a few scraps from the table to help them out where they are utterly useless and devoid of inspiration, and of course to ensure that cadre deployment is still alive and kicking - 'we need to reward our friends and appease our enemies in the party'. It seems ANC politics will still be about 'by the people for the party'. This was really an opportunity for Mr Rra-ma-hesitate to rid us of some of the baggage in Govt, but it seems that he would rather trust the enemies within the party than the possible new friends he could be making.

DA and smaller parties should have been given mor deputy positions. ANC has the lion's share, greedy at the trough.

Look, it's a dog's breakfast of a cabinet, with too many abysmal bits of political flotsam and jetsam clogging it up (Mantashe, Motshekga, Motsoaledi, Chikunga etc), but look on the bright side: no EFF or MKP sending the Rand into complete freefall and citizens rushing to the nearest embassy for an exit ticket. No Malema. No Shivambu. No Dlamini. No Zuma(s). Breathe, folks, breathe in the sweet air of relief that as bad as this cabinet is, the people of reason who actually care (at least a little bit) about our future are in government, and not the VBS Alliance of RFF and MKP.

I believe our Comedians and Cartoonists will be excited about Gayton material. Oh gee where is Trevor N now?

how can one function with a cabinet of , plus minus 80 ministers. This is the start of the new rot. The DA should insist on a total tally of 25 to a maximin of 30. All these posts and their inherent add ons is so wasteful. I can see the DA basking in these high paying portfolios.

The ANC should have taken only 40% of the posts (or 50% at the most). Why did the other GNU members allow this to happen? Why do we have so many Deputy Ministers? Can we afford them when the country's economy is so pathetic? The Deputies' responsibilities have never been clear including their impact in solving SA's problems (including the Deputy President). It appears as if we are back to square one.

The first act of this new government should be to publish performance targets for all the ministers and deputies. Detailed ones, so we know what they actually do and what they're expected to achieve. We need an annual, independent review of them too!

Cyril decreased (sic) the Cabinet from 34 Ministers to now 49. It gives the ANC a 65,3% ministerial advantage. This is 11% more than what the voters voted for. This is without a more than 55% for the Vice-ministerial posts. ANC is thus still fully in charge, regardless of votes cast.

The multiparty government or the grand coalition government which is being referred to as the Government of National Unity is an expression of the collective Will of the voters. Therefore, there is hope for South Africa given that Unity is strength. Thus, united we stand but divided we fall. Consequently, it is good to see all South Africans being represented proportionally in this government. This is a humble reminder that the politics of race are divisive and not unifying. Humanity belongs to one race which is the human race (Psalms 53:1-3). Let us therefore be united in opposing anyone who undermines the will of the people, for the people shall govern. The people are those who love South Africa, those who want to see this beautiful country develop. God bless the nation of South Africa. Let us also pray for our leaders before they prey on us.

Moving the deckchairs on the Titanic. And the taxpayers pay. Again. Expect the ANC to prevent any initiative from the opposition.

And the budget for the government is at the same level of course!

On balance, not perfect, but Ramaphosa has appeased all sides and most importantly the ANC itself, hence the many deputies. As long as their is clear accountability and transparency, which I'm sure there will be with everyone watching everyone. I fully support the government as it reflects the voters will. As I said, not perfect but not terrible either!

I am hopeful but we need to remind ourselves that Ramaphosa actually presided over cadre deployment. This was the very thing that enabled state capture and enabled incapable politically preferred people being put into ministries and offices where they caused chaos and stole the country blind. The result is what we have now, a disaster that he still somehow presides over. Hopefully he and the ANC have learnt a lesson, but we need to watch carefully as we simply cannot allow these traitorous acts to continue.

I am hopeful but we need to remind ourselves that Ramaphosa actually presided over cadre deployment. This was the very thing that enabled state capture and enabled incapable politically preferred people being put into ministries and offices where they caused chaos and stole the country blind. The result is what we have now, a disaster that he still somehow presides over. Hopefully he and the ANC have learnt a lesson, but we need to watch carefully as we simply cannot allow these traitorous acts to continue.

It is rather disappointing that CR17 did not stand his ground and reduce the cabinet, but we have come to expect this of him. The division of ministries is the reason this cabinet is so bloated, instead of consolidating these, they have just blown out. He is showing lack of leadership again in not reducing the cabinet and playing the ANC game. He has brought back ministers with a questionable cloud hanging over their heads, who should never have been entertained at all. Are they going to reduce the rewards of these ministers and deputies to be able to pay for their bloated salaries and benefits? So much talk about the voters having spoken and are they taking this into account. This bloated cabinet means that there is less money for the poor and service delivery. Honestly, some of the ministers chosen are ready for retirement and some do leave you scratching your head. I wonder whether Gayton is going to stay on in this rather useless ministry.

Tau showed what a good ANC mayor can do during his term in joburg up until 2016 I expect to see only good things from bra tau he is a trailblazer of the new anti corrupt and effective anc that is being created