ASSIGNMENT 4 SEMESTER 1 2025
UNIQUE NO.
DUE DATE: 12 JUNE 2025
, Organisational Studies in the Public Sector
1.1 The Link Between South Africa’s National Development Planning and the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
South Africa’s development planning is closely linked to the global Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs), which were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as part
of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The SDGs include 17 interconnected
goals, such as ending poverty, achieving quality education, ensuring good health and
well-being, and taking action against climate change (United Nations, 2015).
South Africa has committed to aligning its own national priorities with the SDGs. One of
the key tools the country uses for this is the National Development Plan (NDP) 2030,
which aims to eliminate poverty and reduce inequality by 2030 (National Planning
Commission, 2012). Many of the goals in the NDP reflect the targets set out in the
SDGs.
For example:
SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) are
addressed in the NDP through strategies to create 11 million jobs by 2030,
support small businesses, and improve public employment programmes
(National Planning Commission, 2012).
SDG 4 (Quality Education) links to the NDP’s goal of improving education
outcomes. Programmes like Early Childhood Development (ECD) are being
expanded to give every child a fair start (Department of Basic Education, 2019).
SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) is supported through reforms such as the
National Health Insurance (NHI) system, which aims to make healthcare
accessible to all citizens, regardless of their income level (Department of Health,
2017).
SDG 13 (Climate Action) aligns with South Africa’s efforts to transition to a low-
carbon economy through renewable energy projects like solar farms in the