Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema has renewed calls for the elimination of deputy minister positions, describing them as “useless” and a waste of state resources. Speaking at a Workers’ Day rally in Rustenburg, North West, on Thursday, Malema said scrapping these roles could save the country billions.
“They said, ‘Where are we going to get money to support this budget?’ and we told them: fire deputy ministers — they are useless — and take that money and support the budget,” Malema told supporters at Zinniaville Sports Ground.
He criticised the overlap and redundancy in several ministries, citing the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment as an example. “If I ask you who the minister of fisheries is, you don’t know — then the deputy minister is worse,” he said.
The department is led by Minister Dion George (DA), with Narend Singh (IFP) serving as deputy minister. Both parties form part of the ANC-led Government of National Unity (GNU).
Malema argued that deputy ministers are a financial burden, pointing to their access to government-funded vehicles, offices, residences, and support staff in both Pretoria and Cape Town. “When you ask what the role of this deputy minister is — nothing,” he said.
He also called for the merging of certain departments to reduce government expenditure. These include combining the Departments of Basic and Higher Education, and the Departments of Health and Social Development.
“Innovation is education,” Malema said, suggesting that the Department of Science and Innovation should fall under Higher Education and Training.
Malema’s remarks come amid widespread criticism of the government’s now-scrapped plan to raise VAT by 0.5 percentage points. The EFF and the Democratic Alliance (DA) both opposed the budget and challenged it in court.
The Western Cape High Court later ruled in their favour, setting aside parliamentary resolutions passed in April that supported the fiscal framework and VAT hike.
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has since confirmed that a revised budget will be presented to Parliament on 21 May. “There is clarity that VAT will remain at 15%,” he said, acknowledging the public and political backlash.
The court also ordered Godongwana to pay half of the DA’s legal costs, with the remainder split between the Speaker of the National Assembly, Thoko Didiza, and the Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane. A similar cost order was made in the EFF’s favour.
Godongwana said the revised budget will focus on stabilising public debt while protecting key sectors, including education, health, and social grants.
