Remodelling Cabinet Departments in South Africa

This research paper examines the internal organisational structures of South African national government Cabinet departments between 2009 and 2021, analyzing how inter-departmental expansion and political leadership influenced internal unit growth.

• Between 2009 and 2021, expansionary pressure at the inter-departmental level led to a corresponding increase in the total number of internal organisational units within departments. This growth peaked and began to decline from 2019/20, aligning with a reduction in the total number of Cabinet departments under President Cyril Ramaphosa.
• The study found it difficult to link year-on-year changes in internal departmental composition to political shifts or ministerial changes. Similarly, no clear pattern emerged to identify which departments—whether new, restructured, or pre-existing—were most prone to internal structural changes.
• Units focused on strategic branch-level activities grew significantly, increasing the oversight burden on Directors-General. While departments with similar activity orientations and levels of agencification showed structural similarity, policy-oriented departments generally maintained more balanced and compact internal structures, depending on their portfolio scope.

APA

Public Affairs Research Institute (2022). Remodelling Cabinet Departments in South Africa. https://pari.org.za/working-paper-remodelling-cabinet-departments-in-south-africa/

Chicago

Public Affairs Research Institute. Remodelling Cabinet Departments in South Africa. 2022. https://pari.org.za/working-paper-remodelling-cabinet-departments-in-south-africa/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Public Affairs Research Institute |title=Remodelling Cabinet Departments in South Africa |date=19 July 2022 |url=https://pari.org.za/working-paper-remodelling-cabinet-departments-in-south-africa/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{publicaffairsresearchinstitute2022remodelling, author = {{Public Affairs Research Institute}}, title = {{Remodelling Cabinet Departments in South Africa}}, institution = {Public Affairs Research Institute}, year = {2022}, month = jul, url = {https://pari.org.za/working-paper-remodelling-cabinet-departments-in-south-africa/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }