National Departments in Pretoria

The mandate of the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities is to lead on socio-economic transformation and implementation of the empowerment and participation of women, youth and persons with disabilities through mainstreaming, advocacy, monitoring and evaluation. The vision of the Department is of a transformed, inclusive society free from all forms of discrimination and capable of self-actualisation. Its mission is to provide strategic leadership, advocacy and coordination to government departments and the country on mainstreaming socio-economic empowerment of women, youth and persons with disabilities. The Department's values are tolerance and respect in the workplace, professionalism, continuous learning, integrity, caring, accountability, inclusivity and empowerment.

The mission of the Department of Water and Sanitation is to serve the people of South Africa by: making a positive impact on the country and its people as custodians of its water and sanitation resources, and as innovative and committed partners in the drive for sustainable development; being service- and delivery-orientated; leading its sector and enabling partners with the knowledge and capacity to ensure that all water services are delivered; being committed to innovation and using cutting-edge technology as a catalyst for positive change, connecting its people and enabling them to work anywhere, anytime; and having a heart that values its investment in its people. The Department provides them with a caring and trusting environment that encourages personal development and is a breeding ground for talent. The Department's strategic goals are: to be an efficient, effective and development-orientated sector leader; equitable and sustainable provision of raw water; provision of equitable and sustainable water services of acceptable quantity and quality; and protection of freshwater ecosystems.

The mission of the Department of Transport (DOT) is to lead the development of integrated efficient transport systems by creating a framework of sustainable policies, regulations and implementable models to support government strategies for economic, social and international development. The objectives that the Department aims to achieve by providing policy framework, regulation and implementation models are: competitive transport costs; safety and security improvements; a reduction in infrastructure backlogs; improvement in access; and a reduction of time in transit.

The mission of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) is to promote structural transformation, towards a dynamic industrial and globally competitive economy; provide a predictable, competitive, equitable and socially responsible environment conducive to investment, trade and enterprise development; broaden participation in the economy to strengthen economic development; and continually improve the skills and capabilities of the dtic to effectively deliver on its mandate and respond to the needs of South Africa's economic citizens. The department's strategic objectives are to facilitate transformation of the economy to promote industrial development, investment, competitiveness and employment creation; build mutually beneficial regional and global relations to advance South Africa's trade, industrial policy and economic development objectives; facilitate broad-based economic participation through targeted interventions to achieve more inclusive growth; create a fair regulatory environment that enables investment, trade and enterprise development in an equitable and socially responsible manner; and promote a professional, ethical, dynamic, competitive and customer-focused working environment that ensures effective and efficient service delivery.

The mission of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), is to provide an enabling environment for the sport, arts and culture (SAC) sector to foster an active, creative, winning and socially cohesive nation.

The mission of the Department of Social Development is to enable the poor, the vulnerable and the excluded within South African society to secure a better life for themselves, in partnership with them and with all those who are committed to building a caring society. The Department has the following primary core functions: management and oversight over social security, encompassing social assistance and social insurance policies, which aim to prevent and alleviate poverty in the event of life cycle risks such as loss of income due to unemployment, disability, old age or death occurring; and developmental social welfare services, which provide support to reduce poverty, vulnerability and the impact of HIV/AIDS through sustainable development programmes, in partnership with implementing agents such as State-Funded Institutions, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) and Faith-Based Organisations (FBOs).

The vision of the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources (DMPR) is to be a leader in the transformation of South Africa through economic growth and sustainable development in the mining sector. Its mission is to regulate, transform and promote the minerals sector, ensuring that all South Africans derive sustainable benefit from the country's mineral wealth.

The mission of the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation is to facilitate, influence and support effective planning, monitoring and evaluation of government programmes aimed at improving service delivery, outcomes and the impact on society. The focus of the Department is on the implementation of the National Development Plan (NDP) 2030 using the Medium-Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) as an implementation and monitoring tool. The MTSF identifies the important actions required to implement the aspects of the NDP for which government is responsible over the medium to long term. Critical government programmes are periodically evaluated to determine the efficiency and effectiveness, as well as their impact, on society.

The mission of the South African Police Service (SAPS), now known as the Department of Police, is to prevent and combat anything that may threaten the safety and security of any community, investigate any crimes that threaten the safety and security of any community, ensure offenders are brought to justice, and participate in efforts to address the causes of crime. The Department's strategic outcome-orientated goals are to: provide police services that will ensure safer communities by reducing the number of serious crimes, contact crimes and trio crimes; increase activities to prevent and combat border crime; increase the percentage of trial-ready case dockets for serious crime, contact crime and trio crime; increase the detection rate for serious crime, contact crime and trio crime, including organised crime and crimes against women and children; increase the conviction rates for serious crime, contact crime and trio crime; enhance African Agenda and sustainable development by deploying members as per Cabinet decision (external deployments); and improve the levels of service delivery and accessibility to services by bringing SAPS service points closer to the communities.

The Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSI) seeks to boost socio-economic development in South Africa through research and innovation. To achieve its goals, the Department provides leadership, an enabling environment and resources for science, technology and innovation. Through its programmes (administration, technology innovation, international cooperation and resources, research development and support, and socio-economic innovation partnerships) and several entities that work alongside it, the Department is accomplishing groundbreaking science and enhancing the well-being of all South Africans. The Department was renamed from the Department of Science and Innovation to the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation on 27 September 2024.

The mission of the Department of Small Business Development is to focus on enhanced support to small business and cooperatives, with an emphasis on programmes to advance entrepreneurship amongst women, the youth, and people with disabilities to contribute to job creation and economic growth. The Department's objectives are to: facilitate the development and growth of small businesses and cooperatives to contribute to inclusive and shared economic growth and job creation through public and private sector procurement; facilitate partnerships with all spheres of government as well as the private sector to ensure mutual cooperation that will benefit small businesses and cooperatives; advocate for a conducive regulatory environment for small businesses and cooperatives to enable access to finance, investment, trade equitable and market access in an and sustainable manner; and facilitate radical economic transformation through increased participation of small businesses and cooperatives in the mainstream economy.

The mission of the National Prosecuting Authority of South Africa (NPA), guided by the Constitution, is to ensure justice for the victims of crime by prosecuting without fear, favour and prejudice and, by working with their partners and the public, to solve and prevent crime. The National Prosecuting Authority has the power to: institute and conduct criminal proceedings on behalf of the state; carry out any necessary functions incidental to instituting and conducting such criminal proceedings; and discontinue criminal proceedings.

The mission of the South African Law Reform Commission (SALRC) is the continuous reform of the law of South Africa in accordance with the principles and values of the Constitution to meet the needs of a changing society operating under the rule of law. The objectives of the Commission are to do research with reference to all branches of the law of the country and to study and investigate all such branches in order to make recommendations for the development, improvement, modernisation or reform thereof, including the: repeal of obsolete or unnecessary provisions; removal of anomalies; bringing about of uniformity in the law in force in the various parts of the country; consolidation or codification of any branch of the law; and steps aimed at making the common law more readily available. In short, the Commission is an advisory body whose aim is the renewal and improvement of the law of South Africa on a continuous basis.

<p>The National Treasury is responsible for managing South Africa’s national government finances. Supporting efficient and sustainable public financial management is fundamental to the promotion of economic development, good governance, social progress and a rising standard of living for all South Africans. The Constitution of the Republic (Chapter 13) mandates the National Treasury to ensure transparency, accountability and sound financial controls in the management of public finances.<br><br>The National Treasury’s legislative mandate is also described in the Public Finance Management Act (Chapter 2). The National Treasury is mandated to promote government’s fiscal policy framework; to coordinate macroeconomic policy and intergovernmental financial relations; to manage the budget preparation process; to facilitate the Division of Revenue Act, which provides for an equitable distribution of nationally raised revenue between national, provincial and local government; and to monitor the implementation of provincial budgets.<br><br>As mandated by the executive and Parliament, the National Treasury will continue to support the optimal allocation and utilisation of financial resources in all spheres of government to reduce poverty and vulnerability among South Africa’s most marginalised.<br><br>Over the next 10 years National Treasury priorities include increasing investment in infrastructure and industrial capital; improving education and skills development to raise productivity; improving the regulation of markets and public entities; and fighting poverty and inequality through efficient public service delivery, expanded employment levels, income support and empowerment.<br><br></p>