Minister Nzimande calls for a stronger focus on clean governance, socio-economic impact and transformation within the department’s entities
As part of strengthening the impact and raising the profile of the work of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, last week (1-4 December 2025) the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof Blade Nzimande, held one-on-one engagements with the leadership of the Entities of his Department.
These engagements follow a special meeting that the Minister held with the Chairpersons and CEOs of the DSTI Entities in August this year.
In the August meeting, Minister Nzimande made a strong call for the leadership of the Entities to be firm in upholding good governance by among others, fighting against corruption and wastage and advancing transformation within the Department’s Entities.
The Minister also highlighted the need to constantly improve the relationship and communication between the Department and its Entities and to ensure that the National System of Innovation (NSI) is enabled to respond dynamically to the prevailing domestic economic and geopolitical environment.
Building on the commitments of the August meeting and supported by the Director-General of the DSTI, Dr. Mlungisi Cele and the Senior Management of the Department, last week, the Minister held one-on-one engagements with the Boards and EXCO of the South African National Space Agency (SANSA), the National Research Foundation (NRF), the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) and the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC).
In his remarks, Minister Nzimande reasserted that “Guided by the White Paper and Decadal Plan for Science, Technology and Innovation and the ever-changing external environment, we will continue to make bold and decisive shifts in the focus areas of our Department and its Entities.”
Her further emphasised the importance of “constantly redefining the role of the DSTI and its Entities so that our Department ceases to be perceived as an elitist Department and that we should increase the national impact of our work.”
The Minister also highlighted the fact that “As part of this strategic repositioning, we have recently adopted a new Departmental mantra, which is: ‘Placing Science, Technology, and Innovation at the centre of Government, Education, Industry and Society’. The realisation of our mantra is dependent on a number of critical enablers, which include the need to significantly raise the scale and profile of our work”.
These Ministerial engagements with the Entities of the DSTI specifically seek to address the key issues emanating from the various performance reports, which include the 2020-2025 End-term Assessment, 2024/25 Annual Reports, and the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation’s 2024 Online Self-Assessment Tool.
Consistent with this, the outcome of these engagements is intended to serve as feedback to the Entities to inform the development of the 2026/27 Annual Performance Plans (APPs) and if necessary, the revision of the 2025-2030 Strategic Plans.
The outcome will also be incorporated into the second draft of the APPs, which are due to be submitted to the Department by 16 January 2026.
Further Ministerial engagements will be held with the other Entities of the DSTI, during the first half of 2026.
More broadly, these engagements form part of Minister Nzimande’s long term objective of enabling the DSTI and its Entities to make bold and impactful shifts that will enable the Department to increase the impact of science, technology and innovation on the well-being of our society.
Enquiries: Veli Mbele (Media Liaison Officer and Spokesperson to the Minister) 064 615 0644 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
DATE: 8 DECEMBER 2025
ISSUED BY THE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION
