How the national departments changed in 2024

After the 2024 general election, the seventh administration reorganised several national departments. Anyone working from a list compiled before mid-2024 will be looking for departments that no longer exist and missing ones that now do.

What was split

Agriculture and land reform

The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development was divided into two. The Department of Agriculture now handles production, veterinary services, plant health and food safety. The Department of Land Reform and Rural Development handles restitution, redistribution, tenure reform, the deeds registries and rural development. Both took office on 3 July 2024.

Energy and mineral resources

The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy was divided. The Department of Electricity and Energy was created in June 2024, combining the electricity function previously held by a Minister in the Presidency with the energy side of the former department. It now holds electricity planning and procurement under the Electricity Regulation Act. The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources retains mining and upstream petroleum.

Higher education and science

Higher education was separated from science and technology, leaving the Department of Higher Education and Training and the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation as distinct portfolios.

Justice and correctional services

These were separated into the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and a standalone Department of Correctional Services.

What was dissolved

There is no longer a Department of Public Enterprises. Coordination of the relevant state-owned companies moved into the Presidency while a new shareholder model is developed. Entities that previously reported to it, including Eskom, Transnet and Denel, are now located across other portfolios or coordinated centrally.

Why this matters for finding things

Departmental restructuring does not move quickly through published directories. A department created in July 2024 will be missing from lists compiled before then, and dissolved departments linger for years. This directory is built from the live listings rather than from an archived index, which is how the four departments created in 2024 appear here at all.

If you are looking for a function rather than a department, search by what it does. The search on this site covers entity names and acronyms across all 372 records.