While Mogoeng said the judiciary was on high alert to not encroach on the functions of other arms of the state, as tempting as it may be, he weighed in on discussions that President Cyril Ramaphosa should drastically reduce the size of the executive.
“The possibility looms large to reduce cabinet and still be effective. I think there are a number of departments you can comfortably merge into one and still be effective,” he said.
Mogoeng said he hoped there would be a “radical paradigm shift” in the incoming sixth administration.
He will lead the swearing-in of MPs on Wednesday that will usher in the sixth parliament of South Africa’s democracy.
Mogoeng said it was important for MPs to reflect on the oath and what it means to ordinary South Africans.
He said he believed the oath that is sworn or affirmed should be sent to MPs beforehand so they can familiarise themselves with what it entails – “otherwise it gets reduced to some kind of a song that you must sing before you assume your responsibilities”.
Image (Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng ready to swear-in MPs on Wednesday).
