SCORE: C Under Ndabeni-Abrahams, the department this year outlined an ambitious agenda focused on expanding funding, supporting new economic sectors such as the ocean economy, and formalising informal businesses. In its first quarterly performance and financial report for the 2025/26 financial year, the department achieved 82% of its planned targets, meeting 27 of 33 targets […]
SCORE: C- McKenzie entered his second year at the helm of the department with bold statements and ambitious rhetoric, but the follow‑through has been inconsistent and often overshadowed by optics rather than outcomes. On the positive side, he reaffirmed his commitment to school‑level sport and grassroots cultural programmes, reiterating that taxpayer funds should focus on […]
SCORE: D The department has hardly made strides in addressing the national gender-based violence and femicide crisis besides awareness campaigns and public statements condemning each violent case as it occurs. As the “custodian of strategic leadership, advocacy, and coordination to mainstream the socio-economic empowerment of women, youth and persons with disabilities” the department has often […]
SCORE: E Tolashe’s 2025 has been marked by a combination of policy initiatives and ongoing controversy. On the policy front, she prioritised efforts to root out fraud and corruption within the South African Social Security Agency, introducing biometric enrolment and targeted investigations aimed at protecting public funds and ensuring grants reach legitimate beneficiaries. She also […]
The new minister inherits partial successes in biodiversity, climate adaptation and renewable energy from his predecessors but faces ongoing environmental crises, governance weaknesses and public mistrust
SCORE: D Under De Lille’s leadership, international and domestic tourism increased during the 2024–25 financial year, boosting South Africa’s economic and employment prospects. The department also maintained unqualified audit outcomes on financial and non-financial indicators. She also successfully led South Africa’s tourism promotion at international events, including ITB Berlin 2025, raising the country’s profile and […]
SCORE: E The department of transport gets an E because its leadership has decided to manage chaos rather than regulate a crisis. The department might point to some wins like the turnaround of Prasa with the rail agency achieving its first clean audit in nine years and nearly doubling its passenger trips to 77 million. […]
SCORE: C In 2025, Groenewald stepped down from his leadership role in the Freedom Front Plus to focus on his ministerial duties. In June, parliament’s portfolio committee on correctional services warned of a projected R1.4 billion overspend for the department for the 2024/25 fiscal year. It flagged food costs, a high number of inmates, rising […]
SCORE: E Despite her efforts to make the department a more proactive facilitator of job creation, Meth still faces an unemployment rate above 30% at the end of 2025. The unemployment rate rose to 33.2% in the second quarter but dropped to 31.9% in the third quarter of 2025, which means employment increased by approximately […]
SCORE: E It’s fair to say that Simelane has struggled to come out from under the heavy cloud of corruption allegations against her linked to the VBS Mutual Bank scandal. Earlier this year, the Democratic Alliance also opened a criminal case accusing Simelane of defrauding Eskom of more than R700 000 through inflated billing while […]