Departments of the Government of South Africa

The civil service of the Government of South Africa is made up of departments (ministries) which manage the various sectors of the public administration. Political responsibility for each department lies with a minister in the Cabinet. There is not always a one-to-one relationship between ministries and departments, in some cases a single ministry governs two departments, which are usually allocated to deputy ministers.

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Current departments

The following list shows the departments as they have been since a reconfiguration of departments was announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in June 2019.[1]

Minister Department Previous name(s)
The President The Presidency Office of the President
Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development
Minister of Basic Education Department of Basic Education
Minister of Communications Department of Communications and Digital Technologies Department of Communications
Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Department of Cooperative Governance
Department of Traditional Affairs
Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Department of Defence
Department of Military Veterans
Minister of Employment and Labour Department of Employment and Labour
Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries
Minister of Finance National Treasury
South African Revenue Service
Minister of Health Department of Health
Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology Department of Higher Education and Training
Department of Science and Innovation Department of Science and Technology
Minister of Home Affairs Department of Home Affairs
Minister of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Department of Human Settlements Department of Housing
Department of Water and Sanitation Department of Water Affairs
Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Department of International Relations and Cooperation Department of Foreign Affairs
Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Department of Justice and Constitutional Development Department of Justice
Department of Correctional Services
Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Department of Mineral Resources and Energy Department of Mineral and Energy Affairs
Department of Minerals and Energy
Minister of Police South African Police Service
Independent Police Investigative Directorate Independent Complaints Directorate
Civilian Secretariat for the Police Service Department of Safety and Security
Minister in the Presidency Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Department of Performance Monitoring and Evaluation
Statistics South Africa Central Statistical Service
Government Communication and Information System South African Communication Service
Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities
Department of Women
Minister of Public Enterprises Department of Public Enterprises Office for Public Enterprises
Minister of Public Service and Administration Department of Public Service and Administration Office of the Minister for the Public Service and Administration
National School of Government South African Management and Development Institute
Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy
Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Department of Public Works and Infrastructure Department of Public Works
Minister of Small Business Development Department of Small Business Development
Minister of Social Development Department of Social Development Department of Welfare
Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Department of Sports, Arts and Culture
Minister of State Security State Security Agency
Minister of Tourism Department of Tourism
Minister of Trade and Industry Department of Trade, Industry and Competition Department of Trade and Industry
Minister of Transport Department of Transport

Two non-ministerial offices also have the status of a government department: the Office of the Chief Justice, and the Office of the Public Service Commission.

History

During the Government of National Unity (GNU) after the 1994 election, the Office of the Executive Deputy President and the Office of the Executive Deputy President from the Largest Minority Party were established as separate departments. The latter was abolished after the National Party pulled out of the GNU in 1996, and the former was abolished after the 1999 election which terminated the GNU.

In 2000 the Department of Finance and Department of State Expenditure were merged to create the National Treasury

In 2002 the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology was divided into the Department of Arts and Culture and the Department of Science and Technology.

In 2009 a major departmental reorganisation took place:

  • The Department of Agriculture was merged with the forestry section of the Department of Water and Forestry and the fisheries section of the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, to create the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
  • The Department of Education was divided into the Department of Basic Education and the Department of Higher Education and Training.
  • The Department of Defence was renamed the Department of Defence and Military Veterans; later in the year a separate Department of Military Veterans was created and the Department of Defence resumed its original name.
  • The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism was divided into the Department of Environmental Affairs and the Department of Tourism.
  • The Department of Foreign Affairs was renamed the Department of International Relations and Cooperation.
  • The Department of Housing was renamed the Department of Human Settlements.
  • The Department of Land Affairs was renamed the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform.
  • The Department of Minerals and Energy was divided into the Department of Mineral Resources and the Department of Energy.
  • The Department of Provincial and Local Government was briefly renamed the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs before being divided into the Department of Cooperative Governance and the Department of Traditional Affairs.
  • The Department of Safety and Security was renamed the Department of Police.
  • The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry was divided, with one section becoming the Department of Water Affairs (later the Department of Water and Sanitation) and the other becoming part of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
  • The Department of Economic Development and the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities were created.
  • The National Intelligence Agency, the South African Secret Service and the South African National Academy of Intelligence were merged to create the State Security Agency.

In 2014 the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services was split from the Department of Communications, a new Department of Small Business Development was created, and the Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities was renamed the Department of Women.

In 2019 another major reorganisation took place:[1]

  • The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries was divided. One section was merged with the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform to become the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development; the other was merged with the Department of Environmental Affairs to become the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries.
  • The Department of Arts and Culture and the Department of Sport and Recreation were merged to create the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture.
  • The Department of Communications and the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services, which were split in 2014, were merged back together to create the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies.
  • The Department of Energy and the Department of Mineral Resources, which were split in 2009, were merged back together to create the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy.
  • The Department of Economic Development was merged into the Department of Trade and Industry to become the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition.
  • A number of departments were renamed:
    • Department of Labour to Department of Employment and Labour
    • Department of Public Works to Department of Public Works and Infrastructure
    • Department of Science and Technology to Department of Science and Innovation
    • Department of Women to Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities

References
  1. "President Cyril Ramaphosa announces reconfigured departments" (Press release). The Presidency. 14 June 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
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