Honourable Chairperson of the Session, Honourable Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Ms Maropene Ramokgopa, Honourable Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Ms Teliswa Mgweba, Honourable Members of the Portfolio Committee on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Honourable Members of Parliament, Acting Director-General of the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Advocate Melanchton Makobe and DPME Team, Members of the National Planning Commission Distinguished Guests, Members of the media, Fellow South Africans,
Khotsong! The citizens of South Africa are looking to us the representatives of the people in this assembly to place their aspiration and needs at the centre of this Budget Vote and Annual Performance Plan of the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME). Our Budget Vote is being considered during a period designated Africa Month Celebrations in our National Calendar. The twin questions that arise are whether our long-term planning is integrated to the African Union Agenda: Vision 2063. If the answer is yes – how does our long-term planning assist us to realise the Africa of our dreams, the Africa we want? We present this Budget Vote at a defining moment in the road to democracy and evolution of a people-centred system of governance. We continue to implement the Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP) 2024–2029, which is the blueprint guiding the work of the 7th Administration that must unlock inclusive growth and service delivery in the spirit of Batho Pele. The Ministry continues to serve as the heartbeat of government's developmental agenda. It does so by driving coherence in planning, strengthening performance monitoring, elevating the use of evidence, and ensuring that our interventions meaningfully support the achievement of the National Development Plan (NDP) Vision 2030. As the term of Office of the outgoing National Development Commission is drawing to a close, the Minister is seized with the proposed process and timelines for the appointment of the Fourth National Planning Commission (NPC4). In this connection, President Cyril Ramaphosa issued a clarion call when he said - “Through Operation Vulindlela, we are working to transform the structure of our economy, to fix our infrastructure and make our electricity, water and logistics sectors more competitive and efficient". The work of the Department stands at the intersection of accountability, coordination, system reform, and strategic foresight. It is here that we lay the foundations for a capable, ethical, and developmental state. As the Minister detailed earlier, these aspirations are encapsulated in the following sustained targeted departmental outcomes that are geared to reshape the state's effectiveness: - Improved governance and institutional capacity within DPME;
- Improved government wide planning and alignment with national priorities;
- Continuous assessments of progress towards MTDP and NDP targets;
- Strengthened evidence systems for decision-making; and
- Enhanced stakeholder engagement across sectors
These outcomes are underpinned by robust outputs, including comprehensive monitoring reports, strengthened performance indicators, improved digital reporting, and targeted planning assessments. Through these mechanisms, the Department aims to reinforce the link between planning, budgeting, implementation, and accountability across all spheres of government. Our approach is aligned to the Government-wide District Development (DDM) Model advocating for One Government, One Plan and One Budget! We are providing solutions to problems close to their area where they originate. Right at the coalface of service delivery. For an example we have been to Umtata as promised to assess the extent of the damages to infrastructure and basic service provision post the June 2025 flood disaster. We Determined the required interventions for improved and coordinated response by all spheres of government. South Africa's development challenges, ranging from unemployment and poverty to service delivery gaps and institutional weaknesses, demand a strategic centre of government that is agile, future focused, and uncompromising on results. I am encouraged by the Department's continued commitment to modernise the planning system, improving government-wide performance reporting, and championing the use of rigorous evidence to inform policy and resource allocation. In this regard, the Department recently convened an Improvement Planning workshop involving seven national departments and six provinces participating in the Welisizwe Rural Bridges Programme. The review highlighted the need for stronger intergovernmental coordination and correct prioritisation of geo-location of these bridges to maximise impact in communities. About 126 bridges have been completed. While there is more to do, feedback from citizens indicates improved safety and living conditions where bridges were delivered on time. It is precisely urgency to develop an agency to attend to these challenges that the Geospatial Information Management Strategy (GIMS) launched by Minister Ramakgopa on the 19th of September 2025 the seeks to resolve. The Minister's launch found practical expression when the 20th of May 2026 we unveiled the GIMS Implementation Road Map in partnership with the City of eThekwini. The successful event served as a launching pad and beginning of local and provincial , community and sector based national roadshows. For too long, our planning and reporting systems have operated in silos, often disconnected from the geographic realities on the ground. We have relied heavily on aggregated data, which, while useful, does not always tell us where interventions are working, where gaps persist, and where urgent action is required. The GIMS represents a fundamental shift in how government understands, plans, and measures development. Honourable Chairperson, Our view is that effective planning and evaluation needs to be anchored in credible evidence, rigorous research and continuous learning. In this regard, the Department has prioritised efforts to strengthen collaboration between government, the academic and research community. During the past financial year, the Department coordinated and sustained strategic partnerships with universities and professional bodies, including the National School of Government (NSG), the Public Service Commission (PSC), University of Pretoria, University of Johannesburg, University of Venda, and the Public Service Education and Training Authority (PSETA), as well as forums such as the South African Association of Public Administration and Management (SAAPAM) and the South African Monitoring and Evaluation Association (SAMEA). These partnerships are critical for advancing evidence-based planning, monitoring and evaluation across the state. Through these platforms, government practitioners and academics engage directly on issues of governance reform, institutional capability, development outcomes, and policy implementation. Honourable Members, We are aware that the challenges facing South Africa cannot be addressed by government alone. Therefore, the Department continues to advance a whole-of-government and all-of-society approach to development. Our own assessment has been validated by Deputy President Mashatile when he amplified the increasing scope of work for DPME “Our Department will be monitoring the saving of energy, especially at public institutions such as schools, hospitals, and courts". This approach is evident in programmes such as the Transparency, Integrity and Accountability Programme (TIP II), implemented in partnership with the Government of Germany. Through TIP II, government departments, oversight bodies, civil society organisations and research institutions are working together to strengthen corruption prevention, ethics management, and transparent public procurement. As Deputy President Paul Mashatile correctly pointed out the Department's role is not to duplicate the work of others, but to coordinate, align and monitor collective action, ensuring that stakeholders work towards shared national priorities and measurable outcomes. This model of engagement builds legitimacy, trust and accountability across institutions and society. As the Department implements this year's APP, collaboration will be deployed as a key pillar and enabler. Honourable Chairperson, Overtime, the Department has institutionalised the practices and discipline of assessing policy and implementation outcomes through frontline monitoring. Our view is that plans and policies find real meaning at the frontline of service delivery, where citizens interact daily with the state. The Frontline Monitoring and Support Programme is therefore a cornerstone of the Department's work to close the gap between policy intent and lived experience. Through integrated, area-based monitoring, frontline visits and citizen engagement, the programme identifies systemic bottlenecks affecting the implementation of the Medium-Term Development Plan and supports practical solutions through intergovernmental cooperation. In 2025/26, the Department conducted frontline monitoring across priority areas including economic recovery projects, (Such as visits and engagements to rejuvenate the Botshabelo Industrial Park). On GBVF, we have been to Phuthaditjhaba Thuthuzela Care Centre to a access and provision of services for victims of gender-based violence and the response of key departments to the growing concerns surrounding GBV&F. On infrastructure, for an example we participated at Launch and Handover of a Welisizwe Bridge in Alfred Nzo District Municipality, on 18 November 2025 in the Eastern Cape. These engagements have not only improved compliance with service delivery standards but have also elevated the voices of citizens and frontline workers in shaping corrective action. Honourable Chairperson, The elevation of the ordinary citizen's voice does not only refine the implementation machinery, but also affirms our commitment to build a developmental state that is a responsive and listening government. Hence, we have kept the Presidential Hotline alive as a vital mechanism for direct citizen engagement and accountability. During the reporting period, over 2,300 complaints were received affecting national and provincial departments, with a 72 percent resolution rate. The Presidential Hotline is also instrumental in assisting the Department to identify recurring systemic challenges, which are escalated and addressed through structured intergovernmental engagements. This model ensures that citizen voices are not only heard but translated into improvements in systems, processes and service delivery on the ground. In this way, the Presidential Hotline contributes directly in building a capable, ethical and developmental state. DPME holds the view that a capable, ethical and developmental state also depends on the skills, systems and leadership capacity of public institutions. Hence, we convened the Youth Expo in Mangaung in July 2026. The Youth EXPO created a platform for young people to connect with the public and private sector, offering exposure to a range of developmental opportunities seeking to address issues of career choices and relevant post school training opportunities, access to further education and training such as learnerships and internships, access to information on starting and sustaining small businesses. The Department's capacity development work therefore focuses on strengthening planning, monitoring and evaluation capability where it matters most. In this regard, the Department provided technical advisory support to national, provincial and local institutions, including sector departments, provincial governments and municipalities, to strengthen planning coherence, evaluation systems and governance capabilities. This includes targeted support to departments and municipalities preparing for elections, implementing anti-corruption strategies, and improving organisational performance. At a system-wide level, the Department supports platforms that promote peer learning and the sharing of good practices, ensuring that institutional improvements are sustained and replicated across government. Honourable Chairperson, As I conclude, I wish to emphasize that the DPME is intentional in building synergies for improved delivery and outcomes: connecting plans to implementation, government to citizens, policy to evidence, and the state to society. The Department is contributing meaningfully to building a state that is capable, ethical, responsive and focused on results by strengthening collaboration with academia, deepening stakeholder engagement, expanding frontline monitoring, developing institutional capacity and amplifying citizen voices, We look forward to continued partnership with Parliament in strengthening accountability, oversight and developmental outcomes for all South Africans. I thank you. Ke a leboga
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