Programme Director, Deputy Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Honourable Andries Nel, Chairperson of the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA), Professor Sibusiso Vil-Nkomo, Executive Director of MISTRA, Mr Joel Netshitenzhe, Dr Mpho Malatjie, and traditional leadership gathered today, CEO of Business Leadership South Africa, Ms Busi Mavuso, Distinguished authors and contributors to the publication, “State of the South African State", Members of the research and policy community, Representatives of business and civil society
Ladies and Gentlemen, Greetings, I am honoured to join you today for the launch of this important and timely publication by MISTRA, “State of the South African State." This publication adds to the knowledge base that exists in the country, and will be an important reference point in the implementation of reforms and plans as we build a capable, ethical and developmental state. I commend MISTRA for once again convening the best of our thinkers to critically engage with the state of our nation – not only to convene conversation, but to drive our continued efforts towards social transformation. MISTRA is a crucial part of South Africa's intellectual architecture. Through its research, publications and dialogues, it has kept alive the discipline of reflection that must accompany the practice of governance. In this regard, MISTRA has dared to ask difficult questions, such as: - What kind of state do we have?
- What kind of state do we need? and
- How do we build the bridge between the kind of state we have and the kind of state we need?
These questions lie at the heart of what we, in the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, frequently grapple with. Ladies and Gentlemen, The title of this publication – State of the South African State – is both descriptive and diagnostic. It invites us to reflect honestly on the nature of our democracy, three decades after 1994. It also invites us to reflect on the progress we have made, and the fissures that threaten our cohesion. This is an important reflection that we undertook in our comprehensive 30-Year Review Report of South Africa's Democracy between 1994 – 2024. This publication by MISTRA provides an additional resource and scope for collaboration in setting our nation on the path to achieve inclusive growth, to create jobs, and to enhance the state's capacity. Indeed, much has been done in the country during the course of our democracy. We have built a constitutional democracy admired across the world. We have also established institutions of accountability, expanded access to education, health and housing, and created a robust framework for fiscal management and development planning. Yet, we need to be frank that the state has not always lived up to the transformative vision embedded in our constitution. Too often, the machinery of the state has been weakened by fragmentation, policy incoherence, and uneven capacity. This has resulted in the state's developmental promise being partially fulfilled, and not fully realised. As MISTRA's work reminds us, the crisis of the state is not only a question of corruption or inefficiency, but of capability or purpose. It is about whether our intentions are agile enough, and our leadership bold enough, to drive structural transformation in an ever-changing world. Ladies and Gentlemen, This is precisely why the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) exists – to strengthen the state from within. Our mandate is to ensure that policies and strategic priorities translate into tangible outcomes in people's lives. We do this through: - Mid-term and long-term planning, embodied in the National Development Plan (NDP) Vision 2030 and the Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP) 2024 – 2029
- Performance monitoring and evaluation, which tracks whether government programmes achieve their intended impacts, and
- Institutional strengthening, by identifying systemic weaknesses and coordinating responses across government.
During the course of South Africa's G20 Presidency, we also chaired the Development Working Group (DWG), which discusses and promotes a range of issues directly affecting developing and low-income countries. We advanced the cause of the African continent and the Global South in the DWG, as seen in the landmark outcomes of this year's G20 Ministerial Meeting on Development, which include: - The 2025 G20 Skukuza Ministerial Declaration
- A Call to Action on Universal Social Protection Systems and Social Protection Floors
- A Call to Action on Combatting Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs); and
- A Chairperson's Statement on Global Public Goods (GPGs), proposing the establishment of the Ubuntu Commission to take forward the work undertaken during the course of the DWG of South Africa's G20 Presidency on the Emerging Principles on Fostering International Cooperation for the Protection and Delivery of Global Public Goods.
In this sense, DPME's work is a practical expression of what MISTRA calls for in this publication – the renewal of state capability and purpose. Ladies and Gentlemen, The project of building a capable and development state is a political and moral project. It requires the restoration of trust between the state and society, ensuring ethical leadership, and create institutions that serve all-of-society, and not just a few. Today, we are experiencing a shifting global context, where climate change, technological disruption, inequality and conflict are reshaping how states function. For South Africa to thrive, our state must become more anticipatory, more coordinated, and more citizen-centred. We must continue to rebuild a professional public service, grounded in merit, performance, and a shared sense of purpose. We must also enhance the integration and institutionalising of planning across all spheres of government, ensuring that every rand spent is aligned with developmental outcomes. This is the vision of the MTDP 2024 – 2029, which emphasises localisation, industrialisation, and a just transition to a sustainable economy. Programme Director, One of the enduring lessons of our democracy is that governance cannot thrive without knowledge, and knowledge cannot fulfil its purpose without governance. Institutions such as MISTRA are essential partners in the renewal of the state, and in our endeavour to build a capable, ethical and developmental state. Therefore, we must deepen the interface between the state and our knowledge community. Together, we can reshape a state that is responsive, accountable, and transformative. In conclusion, As we launch State of the South African State, we are invited not only to reflect on where we are, but to reimagine where we could be. Let this publication be a mirror that reflects our challenges with honesty, and a map that guides us towards renewal and transformation. Our task, in government, academia and indeed all-of-society, is to ensure that the South African state is one which is a trusted instrument of collective progress – a state that listens, learns, and leads with integrity, thus shaping a just and prosperous future. I thank you! | 
