On 09 April 2013, the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, hereinafter referred to as the Department, and the Ingonyama Trust Board, respectively appeared before the Portfolio Committee on Rural Development and Land Reform, hereinafter referred to as the Committee, to brief the Committee about their respective Strategic Plans and the Annual Performance Plans for the 2013/14 financial year. The Department and the Ingonyama Trust Board, apart from presentation of the strategic priorities and how the budget allocations were spread across different programmes, also presented the contextual complexities within which they operate and the challenges they confront in execution of their mandates. Their planning processes helped them to reflect on their strengths and weaknesses whilst attempting to find solutions to the challenges they faced.