This research paper identifies and analyses the most important fundamentals to improve project management performance in South Africa. Many important factors were identified in this study such over 60% of participants have a certificate to none formal project management education, which compromises the quality of any project, and increases the number of project failures in the country. Furthermore, project managers face many challenges from community participation within the project, project creeps, and political influences to getting the right team members for the project on board. Therefore, it is recommended that a partnership between Project Management South Africa (PMSA), higher education institution, public and private sectors should work together in bringing about standard requirements to practice as project managers and standard performance for practicing project managers. This study can be used in the draft of policies regulating the project management industry as well as when developing project management curriculum at higher education institutions, as it points out the fundamentals to improve project management performance in South Africa.