Date: 27 May 2026
Venue: Parliament, Cape Town
Honourable Chairperson of the Session,
Honourable Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Mr Seiso Mohai,
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 team,
Distinguished Guests,
Members of the media,
Fellow South Africans,
Good Morning!
I am honoured to deliver the 2026/27 Budget Vote of the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) before this esteemed Parliament. We present this Budget Vote in a special year in our nation’s history, as we commemorate 30 years of our democratic Constitution. The Constitution entrusts government with the responsibility to advance socio-economic rights and an inclusive society, thereby ensuring the full enjoyment of freedom and democracy by our citizens.
We also present this Budget Vote just two days after celebrating Africa Day—a timely reminder that South Africa’s development journey is linked to the progress of our continent and the broader global community.
South Africa continues to have a strong participatory democracy, which enables citizens to participate meaningfully and hold institutions accountable. This is made possible through a strong planning, monitoring and evaluation system which makes it easier to see if their aspirations have been factored in the plans and to track progress in the implementation of key priorities.
The DPME plays a central role in this process, by:
- Coordinating planning in Government;
- Monitoring progress in the implementation of key priorities and development goals; and
- Evaluating the effectiveness and relevance of key government programmes
The Department does this through accountability mechanisms which advance the building of an ethical and capable state by using Ministers’ Performance Agreements aligned to the State of the Nation Address (SONA) commitments, the Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP) 2024–2029, the National Development Plan (NDP) Vision 2030, the African Union Agenda 2063, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Department understands that a strong function of coordinating planning across government minimises the risk of fragmentation, duplication and silos in implementation. In addition, an integrated planning system helps to align government action around shared goals, link policies to budgets, and ensure that political commitments are translated into implementable programmes.
Therefore, as South Africans participate in the Local Government Elections on 4 November 2026, the Department will continue to promote an all-of-society and whole-of-government approach to the implementation of government plans and strategic priorities, and periodically produce reports to identify gaps and work with stakeholders to find lasting solutions.
Honourable Members,
We appreciate that this Parliament has consistently affirmed the significance of this Department and invite honourable members to endorse the allocated budget to strengthen planning, monitoring and evaluation.
The Department has been allocated an amount of R532.9 million to implement the Annual Performance Plan for the 2026/27 financial year. This allocation represents an increase of approximately R18.8 million compared to the previous financial year and reflects marginal growth of around 4 per cent per annum over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework. The Department will work within this allocation to effectively deliver its mandate and to contribute meaningfully to improving the lives of South Africans.
Honourable Chairperson,
Following the approval of the MTDP 2024 – 2029, the Department facilitated the institutionalisation of the MTDP, guiding national departments and provinces in developing plans that adequately reflect priorities of the 7th Administration.
A major area of work was the assessment of 55 national and provincial draft Annual Performance Plans (APPs) to ensure alignment with the MTDP. This process, which was undertaken in collaboration with the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA), marked an important shift from compliance-driven planning towards results-based planning. Our intention is to strengthen this partnership and drive the implementation of the MTDP priorities and in the process advance the realisation of the NDP Vision 2030 aspirations.
While there has been notable progress, there is still much more to do in strengthening the planning, monitoring and evaluation (PME) environment. In addition, the DPME operates without an explicit statutory mandate. The Department’s mandate is currently informed by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996), the Presidential Proclamation No.47 of 2014, the Public Finance Management Act No. 1 of 1999 and the Policy Framework on Integrated Planning (2022). The absence of an explicit statutory mandate limits the Department’s authority to drive coherence, integration and consequence management across government.
In this regard, the Department has started the development of a White Paper on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation. This is expected to be finished by the end of the 2026/27 financial year, and will subsequently guide the development of a Bill in the 2027/28 financial year. This Bill will seek to guide the establishment of a coherent national development planning system, guide the process towards the DPME’s legislative mandate, draw lessons to strengthen coordination and integration across government, and introduce enforceable mechanisms for planning, monitoring and evaluation.
Honourable Chairperson,
The Department is constantly strengthening its monitoring systems to ensure accurate tracking of progress in the implementation of the MTDP, the identification of potential gaps, and to drive implementation. Through this work, the Department produces in-depth bi-annual MTDP performance monitoring reports. In January this year, we hosted a media briefing to reflect on the performance of government against the MTDP in the first six months of the 2025/26 financial year.
The Department has finalised the bi-annual report for October 2025 to March 2026, and there are clear signs that government is making steady progress towards the realisation of the MTDP priorities. Once approved by Cabinet, the Department will brief the Portfolio Committee on the latest bi-annual report, after which the report will be released to the public. Our aim is to make these reports accessible to all South Africans through deliberate efforts to disseminate them widely among all stakeholders, including members of this Parliament.
The Department will also produce a mid-term monitoring report assessing performance of government against the MTDP over the past two-and-a-half years. This will assist government to identify bottlenecks and intervene speedily to drive the implementation of MTDP priorities.
Honourable Chairperson,
Following the integration of the Department of Public Enterprises functions, the DPME established a dedicated State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Reform Unit to improve oversight, governance, and sustainability across the SOE portfolio.
This unit has hit the ground running, working collaboratively with the Presidential State-Owned Enterprises Council (PSEC), line Ministries, and shareholder Departments to drive the rationalisation, restructuring, repurposing, and repositioning of 26 major SOEs, including Water Boards. This work is aimed at ensuring that SOEs are optimally configured to support national development priorities, strengthen service delivery, and reduce fiscal risks.
To support this work, the Department has developed a comprehensive SOE Rationalisation Framework, a standardised National Guidelines for Board and Chief Executive Officer Appointments. This is aimed at strengthening governance, accountability, and leadership across SOEs. The Department will also ensure that there is a standardised remuneration framework for SOE Board members.
These reforms are further supported by the National State Enterprises Bill, that was tabled in Parliament in 2025, and the Department’s ongoing performance monitoring work, including the 2025 Annual SOE Performance Monitoring Report, whose findings reinforce the urgency of the reform programme and stronger accountability across SOEs.
Honourable Chairperson,
During the 2025/26 financial year, the Department updated several key evidence frameworks and tools, with their implementation and rollout becoming a major focus in 2026/27.
This includes the National Evaluation Policy Framework (NEPF 2025), which was approved by Cabinet in February 2026, to maintain standards on how evaluations are planned, conducted and used across all spheres of government. We have phased out the previous National Evaluation Plan (NEP) and are now implementing the updated plan that supports the NEPF 2025.
The Department also launched the Geospatial Information Management Strategy (GIMS), which lays the foundation for a national spatial data system that supports the spatial tracking of MTDP implementation and improves the targeting of development priorities. Our intention is to ensure that development is understood not only in terms of what is delivered, but where it is delivered, and who benefits.
Starting this month, we have commenced with a series of provincial roadshows to facilitate adoption and implementation of GIMS in provincial and local government, beginning with KwaZulu-Natal. We will reach other provinces during the course of the year.
The Department has also updated its Data Strategy with the development of the Medium-Term Development Plan Integrated Reporting System (MTDP-IRS), a dashboard which monitors progress against the set priorities and targets of the MTDP 2024–2029. The Department has begun with the phased deployment of this system, which is envisaged to modernise and improve the management of government performance information and support a range of reporting reeds, including the Bi-Annual performance reporting.
The Department will also be publishing the Development Indicators Report 2025, to track progress made against the NDP 2030 targets.
Honourable Members,
Following the declaration of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) as a national disaster, the DPME continues to play its part to address this scourge in our society.
Over the past year, the Department completed the Five-Year Review of the National Strategic Plan on GBVF and the Expenditure Review of GBVF interventions. The DPME is now drawing from this work to provide evidence support to the joint response teams led by the Department of Cooperative Governance (DCoG). The expenditure review, in particular, developed a standardised framework for tracking GBVF-related spending across government, aligned to the Standard Chart of Accounts (SCOA). Our research in this area highlights the importance of targeted, results-driven, multi-sectoral partnerships in addressing systemic challenges.
Over the past year, in collaboration with the Pan-African Collective for Evidence (PACE), the Department also launched South Africa’s first AI-powered Living Evidence Map dedicated to addressing GBVF. The Living Evidence Map is a user-friendly platform which centralises, organises and connects the best available evidence on GBVF. It brings together academic studies, community-based knowledge, evaluations, and government data in one accessible interface, and is designed to support policymakers, civil society, businesses and citizens who seek to identify gaps and understand the scope and solutions to GBVF.
In addition, work is also underway with the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities to develop an Improvement Plan in response to the Mid-Term Evaluation of the National Youth Policy 2020-2030.
Honourable Members,
As custodians of the NDP, the DPME continues to work with other countries and stakeholders to advance the NDP 2030 goals for a better Africa and a better world.
We continue to do so through the promotion of strategic partnerships with countries of the Global South and Global North, through initiatives such as the AUDA-NEPAD Presidential Champion Initiative (PICI), the Hamburg Sustainability Conference, and the Global Partnerships Conference which we recently had the honour to convene as co-hosts with the Government of the United Kingdom. In addition, we continue to implement the legacy programmes of South African’s 2025 G20 Presidency by pursuing initiatives such as Ubuntu Commission on global public goods.
The Department remains committed to deepening partnerships that are practical, equitable, and committed to inclusive development across all of society.
Honourable Chairperson,
The work of the Department reflects government’s firm commitment to building a capable, ethical and developmental state. Through improved planning, rigorous monitoring, credible evaluation and strengthened oversight, we are laying the foundation for more effective service delivery and inclusive development.
We look forward to continued collaboration with Parliament as we implement this programme of action in service of the people of South Africa.
As I conclude, I would like to express appreciation to the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation and other Honourable Members of the Committee for their guidance and support.
Let me also express my appreciation to Deputy Minister Seiso Mohai, for his steadfast commitment and support. I also express my gratitude to the Acting DG, Advocate Melanchton Makobe and the DPME officials for their hard work and commitment.
I invite the House to accept and adopt the Budget Vote of the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation.
I thank you!