Welcome to ActionSA’s GNU Performance Tracker, a comprehensive index designed to monitor and hold accountable South Africa’s Government of National Unity (GNU). The tracker is aligned with ActionSA’s core values and vision for an inclusive, prosperous, and secure nation.
Each metric in the tracker is measured against a predetermined ActionSA benchmark, informed by government targets, international best practice, and ActionSA policy recommendations. The tracker will be updated regularly, empowering citizens to see where their government is succeeding and where it is falling short.
Explore the Tracker
Given that South Africa’s unemployment rate was the highest in the world at the time of the formation of the GNU, creating jobs must be this government’s top priority. For our employment metric, we use the labour force participation rate, which measures the percentage of the country’s working-age population (15-64) that is either employed or actively seeking work. We use the National Development Plan (NDP)’s 2030 goal of 65% participation in the labour market as our benchmark target to assess the government’s efforts to create job opportunities.
Data Source: StatsSA
Rising food prices impact the most vulnerable parts of society the hardest. Using the metric of annual inflation for food and non-alcoholic beverages allows us to assess whether the government is prioritising the livelihoods of all South Africans. In line with the South African Reserve Bank (SARB)’s calls for reducing the country’s 3%-6% inflation target, we believe that food inflation should not be higher than 4%.
Data Source: StatsSA
Small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs) are crucial for South Africa’s economic growth, as they drive job creation, stimulate innovation, and contribute significantly to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). To measure government’s efforts to support small businesses, we use the number of small businesses supported through loans from the Small Enterprise Finance Agency (SEFA), a key player in providing loans to South African SMMEs. We will use as the minimum benchmark 80,000 small businesses supported each year; the number achieved by SEFA in the 2023/24 financial year.
Data Source: SEFA annual reports
The GNU has committed to pursuing rapid, inclusive and sustainable economic growth. By tracking the annual GDP growth rate, we can evaluate the government’s economic reforms, fiscal strategy, and infrastructure investment. To bring South Africa in line with developing country and Sub-Saharan African peers, ActionSA demands as our minimum benchmark annual GDP growth of 3%, while 4% will be deemed good, and 5% excellent, by 2029.
Data Source: StatsSA
By tracking how many cents of every Rand collected as tax revenue is paid as interest on outstanding debt, ActionSA can monitor the government’s ability to borrow responsibly and invest wisely. To ensure that government funds are spent on crucial service delivery, and to bring South Africa in line with emerging market peers, ActionSA believes that debt service costs should not be more than 10 cents per Rand of revenue.
Data Source: SARB
Global competitiveness measures South Africa’s ability to provide a conducive environment for businesses to thrive, attract local and foreign investment, and foster innovation. The International Institute for Management Development (IMD) assesses countries’ performance across key areas such as infrastructure, government efficiency, business dynamism, and labour market conditions. ActionSA maintains that South Africa should at the very least be the most competitive country in Africa, and ideally in the global top 50.
Data Source: IMD
Efficient ports are critical to trade, which directly impacts economic growth. The World Bank Global Container Port Performance Index measures the operational efficiency of container ports worldwide by evaluating factors such as the time vessels spend in ports and how quickly containers are processed. Tracking the performance of Cape Town and Durban harbours reflects how well the government is managing key logistics infrastructure. ActionSA believes that South Africa’s ports should be at least the highest-ranking ones in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Data Source: World Bank
The volume of goods transported by freight rail is a critical metric for holding the government accountable for the performance of South Africa’s rail network. By tracking the total quantity of goods moved across the country, this measure reveals how effectively the government is managing and investing in the freight rail system. It underscores the system’s role in supporting economic activity, particularly in key sectors like mining, agriculture, and manufacturing. ActionSA believes that the daily freight rail payload benchmark should be 500,000 tons.
Data Source: StatsSA
The electricity distributed metric provides a clear measure of Eskom’s capacity to produce and supply power to meet national demand, evaluating the government’s effectiveness in reducing loadshedding and ensuring a reliable supply for households, businesses, and industries. Given that South Africa’s total electricity demand is estimated to be around 200-220 terawatt-hours (TWh) annually, which translates to an average of 16.7-18.3 TWh per month, ActionSA believes that monthly electricity distributed should be at least 18TWh.
Data Source: StatsSA
The “real” matric pass rate tracks the percentage of learners who complete Grade 12 relative to the cohort that initially entered high school. Unlike the official matric pass rate, which only reflects the learners who sit for and pass the exams, this metric offers a clearer view of education outcomes by factoring in those who drop out. ActionSA’s benchmark is a 75% completion rate, aligning with NDP education goals.
Data Source: StatsSA; Department of Basic Education Annual Reports
The student support metric tracks the number of students funded by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). This metric is crucial for assessing the government’s commitment to expanding access to higher education, particularly for students from low-income backgrounds. ActionSA believes that NSFAS must support at least one million students each year to fulfil its mandate of promoting equity and opportunity.
Data Source: NSFAS Annual reports
This metric tracks the number of murders committed daily, offering insight into the government’s performance in combating violent crime and the effectiveness of law enforcement measures aimed at reducing murder rates. Recognising the challenge of combatting this social ill, ActionSA challenges the government to commit to halving the murder rate by 2029, targeting less than 38 murders per day by that year.
Data Source: SAPS
This metric tracks reported sexual offences, including rape, per day. It is essential for evaluating efforts to address gender-based violence and improve safety for vulnerable populations. Recognising the challenge of combatting this social ill, ActionSA challenges the government to commit to halving the sexual offences rate by 2029, targeting less than 75 reported offences per day by that year.
Data Source: SAPS
Aggravated robbery, which involves violence or the threat of violence, poses a severe threat to communities and individuals. This metric highlights the prevalence of serious, violent crimes that disrupt daily life, harm businesses, and erode public confidence in safety and security. Recognising the challenge of combatting this social ill, ActionSA challenges the government to commit to halving aggravated robberies by 2029, targeting less than 200 reported offences per day by that year.
Data Source: SAPS
BASIC SERVICE DELIVERY
Benchmark: 100%
Access to proper sanitation is a basic human right and a critical aspect of human dignity. This metric measures the percentage of households with access to basic and safe sanitation, reflecting the government’s efforts to improve the living conditions of the most vulnerable in society while promoting public health. It serves as a broader indicator of progress in reducing reliance on inadequate systems like bucket toilets and highlights improvements in infrastructure that uplift the dignity and well-being of underserved communities. The benchmark for this metric is 100%, in alignment with the NDP’s goal for universal access by 2030.
Data Source: StatsSA