‘Only 18% Spent’: Environment Department Faces MPs’ Wrath as Leadership Feud Paralyzes Delivery

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment is in the crosshairs of Parliament after revealing it spent just 18% of its budget in the first quarter and only 38% by the secondfigures well below National Treasury’s projected benchmarks.

MPs used a Portfolio Committee meeting to warn that the underspending threatened the department’s ability to meet annual targets and raised the risk of last-quarter fiscal dumping, where rushed spending leads to waste and poor outcomes.

But behind the numbers lies a deeper crisis: a bitter leadership feud that has paralysed decision-making and raised concerns about governance, policy continuity, and departmental focus.

The Aucamp-George Fallout

The turmoil follows the Democratic Alliance’s reshuffle within the Government of National Unity. Willie Aucamp was appointed Minister in November 2025, replacing Dion Georgea move that triggered a public and increasingly bitter fallout between the two.

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 compounded the department’s existing pressures, leaving officials to answer for spending failures while the political leadership fights its battles in public.

Environmental Programmes Under Pressure

Director-General Nomfundo Tshabalala attributed the underspending to multiple factors: withdrawn delegations to executive authority level, delayed approvals, recruitment freezes, and National Treasury constraints. She told the committee that delegations had since been restored and implementation was being accelerated.

But MPs were not satisfied. EFF MP Mogamad Paulsen questioned the reliability of performance indicators, particularly where programmes reported full achievement while communities continued to experience hardship.

Members raised concerns about 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. She said the department would strengthen reporting to better link jobs created with environmental outputs and long-term sustainability outcomes.

Scientific Delays and Ageing Vessels

Scientific research delays also drew attention. Tshabalala said allocation decisions were informed by assessments of fish stocks, balancing conservation with food securitybut those assessments were themselves delayed.

Penguin colony surveys were postponed due to adverse weather. Humpback whale survey sailing orders were delayed because of vessel repairs, said chief director Thembi Msindo-Nkuna.

Acting Deputy Director-General of Oceans and Coasts Marcia Korsten added that ageing research vessels, including the 52-year-old Algoa, required extensive maintenance. A strategic review is underway to examine replacement options.

Fishing Communities Pay the Price

While officials spoke of delays and delegations, fishing communities continue to battle economic strain. Conservation projects face holdups. The gap between planning and delivery grows wider.

Deputy Minister Swarts proposed a joint engagement between the Portfolio Committee on Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment and the Portfolio Committee on Public Works and Infrastructure, already scheduled for the end of March. The hope is that cross-committee scrutiny might unlock some of the bottlenecks.

The Core Question

The department’s problems are not new. Underspending, leadership instability, and delivery failures have plagued it for years. But the current crisisspending at 18% while a ministerial feud dominates headlinesraises a fundamental question: who is running the show?

Aucamp and George fight. Officials point to delegations and freezes. MPs demand answers. And fishing communities, conservationists, and environmental programmes wait.

The committee will continue its oversight. The department promises acceleration. But until the leadership turmoil is resolved and spending translates into delivery, the people who depend on this departmentfor livelihoods, for conservation, for survivalwill remain in the lurch.