Committee Annual Performance Plan and Programme

Video The Portfolio Committee considered and adopted its Committee Reports on the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) 2025/26 Quarter 3 and 2026/27 Quarter1 performance. The Committee noted that the Department had recorded 92% Q3 performance and 80% budget expenditure but Members remained concerned about funding constraints, unachieved targets in Programmes 1 and 5, procurement performance, and governance matters affecting entities, particularly the South African National Space Agency (SANSA). Members also raised concerns about the Department’s difficulty in meeting procurement targets for youth-owned enterprises and enterprises owned by persons with disabilities, as well as the broader question of how Members could assist constituents seeking opportunities in the sector without creating conflicts of interest. For the first quarter of 2026/27, the Committee noted that the Department had received an increased allocation of R10.4 billion, representing a real increase of 7.4%, largely linked to funding for science missions, including South Africa’s obligations towards the SKA. DSTI had spent 35% of its budget in Q1 and achieved 84% of its planned Q1 targets. Key areas requiring attention included procurement through the Central Supplier Database, which did not readily identify youth- and disability-owned enterprises; a shortfall of seven graduate placements under Programme 4; and the Sector Innovation Fund, where planned interventions had not been implemented because funding had not been secured. The Committee noted that these matters would require follow-up, particularly about securing funding for the Sector Innovation Fund and if that unfunded target should remain in the 2026/27 APP. It also requested further information on SMME support, graduate placements, and mechanisms to ensure that research is advanced and scaled. The Committee adopted its fourth term programme and addressed preparations for a proposed international study trip in 2027.