ActionSA announced on Monday a Cabinet Reform Package that it hopes will save R1.5-billion in taxpayer money and rid government of a “bloated executive”.

The party will table a Constitutional Amendment to abolish Deputy Ministers entirely from the Cabinet structure by amending Section 91 and repealing Section 93 of the Constitution.

ActionSA Parliamentary leader Athol Trollip explained that this would be done in conjunction with a Constitutional Amendment requiring Parliament to ratify Cabinet appointments within a set timeframe by amending Section 92 of the Constitution.

“This will, for the first time, introduce Parliamentary vetting of ministerial appointments by the President, thereby enhancing oversight and accountability of the executive,” he said.

Through the party’s Cabinet Reform Package, it hopes to save the taxpayer from funding Ministers’ lifestyles.

“...this indulgence in wasteful perks allows 32 Ministers, 43 Deputy Ministers, and their large staff complements to live in luxury while demanding that taxpayers, who fund their billion-rand rockstar lifestyles, tighten their belts and accept potential tax increases,” he said.

Trollip noted that the party would also urgently table the Cut Cabinet Perks Bill—a piece of legislation previously introduced but later abandoned by the Democratic Alliance (DA) once they joined the African National Congress (ANC) and “became beneficiaries of these very perks”.

He said this would amend the remuneration of Public Office Bearers Act, 1998 to “drastically reduce” excessive Ministerial allowances, housing perks, travel expenses and “superfluous” VIP protection.

“The extent of this waste continues to be exposed in our Government of National Unity Performance Tracker, which reveals that, in the first few months since their appointment in July 2024, just over half of the Ministers have cumulatively blown R143.5-million on travel alone,” he added.

Trollip highlighted that in strengthening deterrence and accountability, ActionSA’s Zero-Tolerance Corruption Bill will legislate “stricter penalties,” by increasing the minimum sentence for corruption involving transactions exceeding R500 000 to 15 years’ imprisonment, with no option of a fine or parole.

The Bill will hold individuals and corporations accountable through mandatory repayment of corruptly acquired funds and additional punitive penalties, and will also bar anyone convicted of corruption from holding public office, serving as an accounting officer, working for the State or registered non-profits, or holding elected positions within political parties.

Trollip noted that the Bill was aimed at addressing the “glaring limitations” of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act (PRECCA), specifically in its definition of corruption and accountability.

“In tackling these failures, exposed most notably during the most egregious era of State capture, ActionSA’s legislative action focuses on strengthening PRECCA to effectively combat corruption and punish those who perpetrate it,” he explained.