ActionSA on Tuesday delivered a scathing assessment of South Africa’s Government of National Unity (GNU), awarding it a string of failing grades in a report card that accuses the coalition of weak leadership, economic mismanagement and a failure to deliver basic services.
The party launched its “GNU Performance Tracker” at a media briefing in Johannesburg, claiming the review offers an “objective” analysis of the government’s performance over the past year across six key areas: Ethical leadership and public service, economy, infrastructure, basic services, education and crime.
“Government, whose role it is to set the agenda and set the strategy of our country, has been silent on what our national KPIs are,” said ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont.
“We didn’t come here just to criticise. We’ve committed
ourselves to be a constructive opposition. But when you do an honest assessment… our government really hasn’t done well.”
The party used a grading scale ranging from A (excellent) to F (complete failure). Most categories received D, E or F ratings.
Leadership and public service
ActionSA MP Athol Trollip awarded the GNU an “F” for leadership and public service, citing unchecked government spending and a bloated cabinet. “Not one of the new ministers and their plethora of deputy ministers have signed a performance agreement,” Trollip said.
He blamed the African National Congress (ANC) for expanding the cabinet instead of consolidating. “Just that increase cost South African taxpayers R1.5 billion a year,” he said.
“Who is keeping this government to account? Who is enabling the crimes within our communities?”
Lerato Ngobene – ActionSA chief whip
Trollip said an ActionSA-led government would scrap deputy minister roles, cap the number of ministers at 20 and slash ministerial perks. “Ministers are public servants, not royalty, and must live as such,” he said.
Economy and jobs
ActionSA MP Alan Beasley also handed the GNU an “F” for its economic performance, citing rising unemployment and shrinking growth projections. “In South Africa, we have 8.3 million people unemployed. There are a further 3.5 million discouraged workers. So nearly 12 million South Africans are unemployed,” Beasley said.
“Unemployment is increasing… which under the GNU has ticked up from 42.6% to 43.1%.” He noted that economic growth forecasts have dropped from 1.9% to potentially below 1%.
Infrastructure and ports
MP Malebo Kobe gave the government a “D” for infrastructure, citing some signs of progress but stressing severe issues in transport and port performance.
She noted that Durban’s port ranking dropped from 369 to 393 globally, while Cape Town fell to 401, according to the World Bank’s global container port performance index.
“South Africa is supposed to be a leader on the continent, yet ports like Berbera in Somalia rank near the top 100,” Kobe said. “We’re not maximising our ports and our coastal communities are paying the price.”
She also criticised Public Works Minister Dean Macpherson for failing to deliver promised job creation in the construction sector, which lost 103 000 jobs under his tenure.
Service delivery
Basic service delivery also earned the government an “F,” with MP Tebogo Letlape highlighting widespread sanitation failures. “Just here in Slovo Park … the sewage is leaking,” Letlape said.
“You drive around Johannesburg, you have manholes that are lifted in the middle of the road.”
Letlape also pointed to systemic failures in housing allocation and municipal services. “When you allow people to live anywhere they wish … they jump the queue. You build a house in a riverbed, and suddenly you have to be prioritized,” he said.
Letlape added that electricity, while improved, remains unreliable and unaffordable. “How can you build an economy when your input cost for energy is so high?”
Education and youth
The education system received an “E,” with ActionSA chief whip Lerato Ngobeni warning of declining matric completion rates.
“Only 53.6% of students who start grade 10 complete matric,” she said. “Our education system … is a true, true tragedy.”
She also raised concerns about the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) and the rising number of youth not in employment, education or training — now at 45.1%.
Crime and law enforcement
Crime remains an urgent issue, with MP Dereleen James assigning an “F” for government efforts to combat violence. “Between January and March 2025, 5 727 murders were recorded,” she said.
“Three children below the age of 18 were shot and killed in my community of El Dorado Park over the weekend.”
She described inadequate policing infrastructure, including 30 detectives sharing four phones and one vehicle for an entire community.
James cited the murders of child victims such as 11-year-old Jayden-Lee Meek and 14-year-old Chanel Plaatjies, calling the justice system “broken.”
“Who is keeping this government to account?” she asked. “Who is enabling the crimes within our communities?”
Call for accountability
Beaumont said South Africans cannot accept the GNU’s performance as merely preferable to more radical political alternatives. “It is not enough to tell South Africa we should be appreciative of what we’ve avoided,” he said.
“What you really have is a government running in multiple
directions all at once and in no direction enough.”
Beaumont reiterated that ActionSA intends to offer policy alternatives while holding the government accountable.
“The only way to gain public trust is to be transparent,” he said. “Taxpayers want to know where their money is going.”
