Government does not intend to scrap the nine provinces altogether, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Richard Baloyi clarified on Tuesday.

“One of the department’s functions is to support and strengthen provinces in fulfilling their constitutional and legal obligations. It has been made clear in the Constitution that government shall have three spheres and that includes provinces and as a department we will just continue to strengthen it and we call on everybody to join us in supporting and strengthening the provinces,” he said.

Baloyi was responding to a question during the Social Protection and Community Development Ministerial Cluster briefing in Cape Town earlier today.

The debate on scrapping the provinces came after the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) General-Secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi on Monday called on government to scrap the provinces, saying they have become a burden on the state.