Underspending in the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment comes as leadership turmoil continues to hang over the department following a reshuffle.
Image: Manus
While fishing communities battle economic strain and conservation projects face delays, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment has spent far less than planned – drawing sharp criticism from MPs concerned about delivery failures.
Expenditure reached just 18% in the first quarter and 38% by the second, well below National Treasury’s projected benchmarks.
This comes as leadership turmoil continues to hang over the department following the Democratic Alliance’s reshuffle within the Government of National Unity.
Willie Aucamp, who was appointed Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment in November 2025, replaced Dion George, triggering a public and increasingly bitter fallout between the outgoing and incoming ministers.
The transition has been overshadowed by allegations ranging from claims of unlawful political interference and cadre deployment to disputes over environmental policy reversals and accusations traded via Public Protector complaints.
The instability has raised broader concerns about governance, policy continuity and departmental focus at a time when the department is already under pressure over spending and performance.
Members of Parliament used the Portfolio Committee meeting to press officials on whether the department’s spending trajectory threatened its ability to meet annual targets.
Members warned that under-expenditure raised the risk of last-quarter fiscal dumping.
They also highlighted performance gaps in environmental programmes, delays in scientific surveys, vacancy rates, audit findings, climate change coordination, waste tyre management, fishing harbour operations and the tangible impact of Expanded Public Works Programme job creation on environmental outcomes.
The department attributed delays in environmental programmes to project approval requirements, contractual reviews involving entities such as SANParks and iSimangaliso, and capacity constraints affecting data verification.
Director-General Nomfundo Tshabalala linked the underspending to withdrawn delegations to executive authority level, delayed approvals, recruitment freezes and National Treasury constraints.
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment has spent far less than planned
Image: ChatGPT
Tshabalala told the committee that delegations had since been restored and that implementation was being accelerated across affected programmes.
Environmental programmes emerged as a central pressure point during the discussion.
EFF MP Mogamad Paulsen questioned the reliability of performance indicators, particularly where programmes reported full achievement while communities continued to experience hardship.
Members also raised concerns about what they described as a disconnect between job creation statistics and measurable ecological improvements, including progress in clearing invasive alien species.
Deputy Minister Bernice Swarts agreed that employment statistics alone were insufficient indicators of success.
Swarts said the department would strengthen reporting to better link jobs created with environmental outputs and long-term sustainability outcomes.
Scientific research delays also drew attention from Members.
Tshabalala said allocation decisions were informed by scientific assessments of fish stocks, which required balancing conservation imperatives with food security and livelihood considerations.
Additional concerns were raised within the Oceans and Coasts branch.
Penguin colony surveys were delayed due to adverse weather conditions, while humpback whale survey sailing orders were postponed because of vessel repairs, chief director of Business Performance and Strategic Management Thembi Msindo-Nkuna said.
Acting Deputy Director-General of Oceans and Coasts Marcia Korsten added that ageing research vessels, including the 52-year-old Algoa, required extensive maintenance, with a strategic review underway to examine replacement options.
Swarts proposed a joint engagement between the Portfolio Committee on Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment and the Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure, which had already been scheduled for the end of March.
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