Due to the split from the former Department of Mineral Resources, the Department had to grapple with the issue of ensuring that it had manpower. The process of filling vacancies is key to the Department in its drive to implement its plans and achieve its strategic objectives. The composition of the interim structure had 325 personnel. At the moment, the Department is operating at a rate of 531 funded posts. This creates a shortfall of 349 unfunded posts, when one takes into account the desired total figure of 925 for the Department to be fully staffed. At present, the Department has 73 vacant posts. The recruitment and selection process to fill these 73 posts is at an advanced stage.