National Department Of Public Enterprises, the aim of the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) is to drive investment, productivity and transformation in the department’s portfolio of State Owned Companies (SOCs), their customers and suppliers so as to unlock growth, drive industrialisation, create jobs and develop skills.
Our Mission
The State Owned Companies, are strategic instruments of industrial policy and core players in the New Growth Path. The department aims to provide decisive strategic direction to the SOCs, so that their businesses are aligned with the national growth strategies arising out of the New Growth Path. It will do this by ensuring that their planning and performance, and investments and activities, are in line with Government medium term strategic framework and the Minister’s service delivery agreement.
In relation to Government’s 12 outcomes, the Department of Public Enterprises is contributing directly to creating an efficient, competitive and responsive economic infrastructure network (outcome 6), which forms the basis of the Minister’s service delivery agreement, signed in October 2010. Over the medium term, the department will focus on achieving the outputs and sub-outputs that are linked to the Outcome and contained in the Agreement.
These are:
- Improving the delivery and maintenance of infrastructure and monitoring the rollout of the Transnet and Eskom build programmes.
- Achieving policy and regulatory clarity in sectors in which the SOC operate.
- Improving operational efficiencies of the SOCs, particularly in relation to the reliable delivery of rail and ports services and the reliable generation, distribution and transmission of electricity.
- And developing operational indicators for each of the required sub-outputs identified as part of the delivery agreement and where necessary including these shareholder compact concluded within the SOCs.
The Department of Public Enterprises is the shareholder representative for government with oversight responsibility for the following State Owned Companies:
Energy Enterprise
- Eskom
Manufacturing Enterprises
- Alexkor
- Denel
- Safcol
Transport Enterprises
- South African Express Airways
- Transnet
SOCs have a crucial role to play in advancing economic growth, since they are responsible for the development of key infrastructure and manufacturing capacity for South Africa.
Infrastructure investments are a core part of the accelerated growth strategy, and SOCs are implementing comprehensive investment programmes to ensure that significant and sustained opportunities for investment are created.
Our History
In 1994, the Office of Public Enterprises was established to champion and direct the restructuring of State Owned Companies (SOC), ensuring their optimal economic and developmental impact.
A Cabinet decision was taken in 1999, to accelerate the restructuring of State-Owned Enterprises. To this end, Minister Jeff Radebe made a presentation for the upgrading and re-designation of the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) as a National Government Department.
Today the DPE is the established shareholder representative for government with oversight responsibility for key SOC, playing a crucial role in the development of the economy.