Executive Authority (President, Cabinet and Deputy Ministers)

Cabinet

The Cabinet consists of the President, as head, the Deputy President and Ministers. The President appoints the Deputy President, Ministers and Deputy 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.

The President appoints a member of the Cabinet to be the leader of government business in the National Assembly.

The Presidency

As the executive manager of government, The Presidency is at the apex of South Africa’s government system. It is situated in the Union Buildings in Pretoria, and has a subsidiary office in Tuynhuys, Cape Town.

The Presidency comprises the following political principals:

• The President, who is the Head of State and Government
• The Deputy President, who is the Leader of Government Business (in Parliament)
• The Minister in The Presidency
• The Minister of Electricity
• The Minister in The Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation
• The Minister in The Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities
• The Deputy Minister in The Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities
• Two Deputy Ministers in The Presidency
• The Deputy Minister in The Presidency for State Security.

The Presidency has three structures that support governance operations directly. They are:

• The Cabinet Office, which provides administrative support to Cabinet. It implements administrative systems and processes to ensure the overall optimal functioning of the Cabinet and its committees. It also facilitates the management of decision-making processes of the Cabinet and its committees.
• Policy Coordination Advisory Services comprises a Deputy Director-General and five chief directorates, which support policy processes developed by respective clusters of directors-general.
• Legal and Executive Services provides legal advice to the President, Deputy President, the Minister, as well as The Presidency as a whole, and is responsible for all litigation involving the political principals.

The President, as the Head of State, leads the Cabinet. He or she is elected by the National Assembly from among its members and leads the country in the interest of national unity, in accordance with the Constitution and the law.

The President appoints the Deputy President from among the members of the National Assembly. The Deputy President assists the President in executing government functions.