Whomever held the position was the political head of the Department of Public Enterprises.

This portfolio was established in 1999, and it oversaw the various state-owned enterprises of South Africa.

[1] Pravin Gordhan[2] was the last appointed minister of public enterprises.

He was appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa, shortly after the 2018 South African Presidential Election.

[3] The ministry was disestablished following the 2024 general elections and inauguration of the Third Cabinet of Cyril Ramaphosa, being folded into the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) during the process of implementing a new shareholder model.