DSD STRATEGY WORKSHOP LAYS FOUNDATION FOR EVIDENCE-BASED PLANNING

By Precious Mupenzi

• The Department of Social Development is finalising their strategic plans for the next five years at a high-level workshop, using evidence-based planning methods.
• The strategic work is being done under the theme “Building Resilient Families”, which underscores the department’s commitment to strengthening interventions that support vulnerable communities.
• The session is not just a routine gathering, according to Acting Director-General Peter Netshipale, “it is an essential governance structure where directors actively contribute to setting and implementing our plans”.

The Department of Social Development incorporates evidence-based planning, using real-life issues that are forward-looking, to identify projects and programmes that will shape the delivery of social services.

The department convened a two-day strategy workshop in Johannesburg from 6 – 7 March 2025 to finalise their plans for the next five years.

This workshop served as a platform to refine the Strategic Plan for 2025/26-2029/30 and the Annual Performance Plan for 2025/26-2027/28 in alignment with the seventh administration’s Medium-Term Development Plan.

Participants engaged in rigorous discussions, incorporating insights from key guiding documents, including the Government of National Unity statement of intent, the National Development Plan (Vision 2030) – specifically Chapter 11 on social protection, the Social Development Index Research report, the Anti-Poverty Strategy, the HSRC (Human Sciences Research Council) Gender-Based Violence and Femicide report, the National Development Plan evaluation report, and the sixth administration report.

These documents provide a foundation for shaping the department’s strategic priorities and ensuring alignment with national development goals.

Facilitated by Moonraises Strategy & Training, the workshop built on the outcomes of the sector lekgotla in September and October 2024 and responded to feedback from the Department of Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation and the Department of Public Service and Administration.

The theme for this year’s workshop, “Building Resilient Families,” underscored the Department of Social Development’s commitment to strengthening social development interventions that support vulnerable communities.

The session brought together senior managers from the national department to deliberate on and finalise the Strategic Plan 2025/2030 and the Annual Performance Plan 2025/2026.

Acting Director-General Peter Netshipale underscored the importance of the session in his opening remarks.

“This session is not just a routine gathering; it is an essential governance structure where directors actively contribute to setting and implementing our plans. Their participation is vital as they remain the backbone of our performance.”

Netshipale emphasised the need for robust engagement among senior managers, particularly in the face of an ever-evolving social landscape.

He highlighted key challenges such as homelessness, teenage pregnancy, and disaster management, stressing that the Department of Social Development must remain agile and responsive.

“The decisions we make here will directly impact how we position the department to strengthen its capacity to deliver essential services and improve the lives of our people,” he said.

Netshipale also took a moment to acknowledge recent senior appointments that will help stabilise the department at the top management level. “I extend my congratulations to Siza Magangoe, who has been appointed as the Deputy Director-General for Welfare Services, and Thandeka Ngcobo, who takes on the role of Chief Financial Officer. These appointments will bring much-needed stability to our leadership.”

Strategic planning and alignment with national priorities

The planning process follows extensive consultations led by the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation and the social protection and human development cluster.

The cabinet has approved the Medium-Term Development Plan for 2024-2029, which builds on the National Development Plan and incorporates key priorities outlined by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his opening of parliament address on 18 July 2024 and reiterated in the State of the Nation Address on 6 February 2025.

“It is critical that our Strategic Plan and Annual Performance Plan align with the Medium-Term Development Plan,” said Netshipale, explaining that the Medium-Term Development Plan serves as a guiding framework for the department’s policy direction.

He further noted that while the new Medium-Term Development Plan does not cover all of the department’s policies and legislation, key indicators from the 2019-2024 Medium-Term Strategic Framework must still be prioritised and finalised in consultation with the cabinet.

The session focused on aligning the Department of Social Development’s strategic priorities with the presidential high-level programme of action, which includes:

•   Establishing an integrated system of support for the poor and unemployed through the National Integrated Protection Information System;
•   Strengthening job search and public employment programmes, such as the Expanded Public Works Programme;
•   Continuing the Social Relief of Distress as a foundation for sustainable income support;
•   Adopting the national strategy to accelerate action for children, focusing on poverty reduction, child protection, and addressing malnutrition; and
•   Enhancing support for victims of gender-based violence.

The department has already begun incorporating these priorities into its Annual Performance Plan to ensure implementation and reporting to the presidency.

Additionally, the department is committed to finalising its organisational structure for the 2026/2027 financial year and filling vacant posts as a matter of priority.

“Our deliberations here must be focused on finding solutions to the persistent challenges of poverty, inequality, and other rising social ills,” Netshipale stated.

Key presentations and discussions set the tone for the deliberations, including the digitalisation of government, where the Department of Public Service and Administration presented insights into the government’s digital transformation agenda.

The Department of Science, Technology, and Innovation discussed the implementation of the National System of Innovation, while Statistics South Africa provided an analysis of socio-economic trends impacting social development.