Question NW2798 to the Minister in The Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation

Reply:

The current National Planning Commission (NPC) of which I am chair is the third Commission. As members know the first Commission drafted the NDP. The second commission started the process of institutionalising planning in government and undertook research into long-term trends, analysing implementation of short- to medium-term plans and recommended improvements to Government to inform policy and planning. This included a review of the NDP.

The current NPC’s mandate is, inter alia, to:

• Mobilise society to promote the acceleration in implementing the National Development Plan towards 2030, recognising the changes that have ensued since its initial adoption.
• Assist in forging a conversation among key stakeholders, leading to effective and impactful interventions on several key issues facing the country.
• Undertake research and build a body of evidence on critical matters for the long-term planning and development of South Africa. Strengthen the use of evidence and the quality of empirical data, generated from impact assessments for national planning.

In the short time that I have been the Minister responsible for the Department of Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation and Chair of NPC, I have had the opportunity to engage with the NPC, who displayed a passionate loyalty to seeing South Africa and all its people succeed.

They have done this by identifying objectives that will make a difference not only in terms of long-term planning by ensuring the implementation of the National Development Plan, but that can be implemented in the short-term. The work being undertaken relate to areas that cover social protection, which covers education, health, and social assistance, among others, growing the economy in an equitable and inclusive manner, and addressing governance broadly through developing state capacity.

In this regard, and through establishing partnerships, the NPC has welcomed the adoption of the National Framework Towards the Professionalisation of the Public Sector by Cabinet in October 2022; provided practical advice that has since been adopted by government with respect to alleviating the energy crisis; and has played an active role in guiding the implementation of the District Development Model.

The NPC will soon launch its Ten-Year Review of the NDP. This review interrogates the factors that affected the implementation of the NDP since its adoption, including consideration of domestic and international crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the civil unrest in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal in July 2021, and the Ukraine-Russia war. In particular, the review assesses the progress made with the key NDP targets of eliminating poverty and reducing inequality and unemployment. The analysis evaluates the extent to which planning has been institutionalised and the reform of the country’s planning system across all spheres of government following the adoption of the NDP.

Given the body of work I can only conclude by indicating that the Commission is having a positive impact in ensuring the implementation of the NDP

THANK YOU