Pretoria - The Presidency on Monday completed the reconfiguration of government.
This saw the transfer of the Ministry of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation to its own department.
The Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME), the Presidency said, would further take responsibility for the National Planning Commission and the National Youth Development Agency, as well as Statistics SA.
The transfer of functions and staff of the Ministry began in July 2015 and has now been concluded.
In May last year, President Zuma announced a new Cabinet. Subsequent to that, various administrative and legal steps were taken to give effect to the new Cabinet portfolios.
Proclamation No. 47 of 15 July 2014 was gazetted to transfer the administration of legislation and entities from one Minister to another in terms of section 97 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996.
Proclamation No. 43 of 8 July 2014 was also gazetted to amend Schedule 1 of the Public Service Act, 1994, to establish new and renaming the National Departments.
The President created a new Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME).
“The National Planning Commission functions were then transferred from the Presidency to the DPME, with effect from 1 October 2014, to create the new portfolio. The intention of the President is to institutionalise planning as well as monitoring and evaluation in government and to house these functions in one department to ensure cohesiveness and focus.”
The Ministry of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, which is the Office of Minister Jeff Radebe, had remained on the structure of the Presidency, which meant that the DPME reconfiguration had remained incomplete.
The department operated without a Ministry which was located in the Presidency.
The Presidency reiterated that the Departments of Women and the DPME operate independently of the Presidency, like other government departments, and have their own budget votes and administrations.
Administratively, this means that the President is the Executive Authority of the Presidency, while Minister Radebe is the Executive Authority of the Ministry and Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation and Minister Shabangu is the Executive Authority of the Department and Ministry of Women.
“It should be noted that Minister Susan Shabangu and Minister Radebe remain Ministers in the Presidency,” said the Presidency.
“The only new development is that the Office of Minister Radebe now reports to the the DPME instead of the Presidency, while Minister Shabangu’s Ministry became part of the Department of Women immediately after her appointment.” – SAnews.gov.za
