ActionSA's GNU Performance Tracker

Tracking Progress, Ensuring Accountability

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

Ethical leadership and public service

Bloated Cabinet
Travel and other perks
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Economic growth that creates job opportunities

Employment
Inflation
Small business support
Economic growth
Debt management
Competitiveness
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Enhance infrastructure for efficient trade and transport

Ports management
Freight rail performance
Electricity supply
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Improve basic services for dignity and quality of life

Access to sanitation
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Quality education for all

“Real” matric pass rate
Student support
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Law and order that upholds a just society

Murder
Gender-based violence
Illegal immigration
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LEADERSHIP

The formation of the GNU saw the cabinet expand from 30 to 32 Ministers and from 36 to 43 Deputy Ministers. Salaries, staff, and related perks for newly appointed Ministers and Deputy Ministers alone will increase cabinet’s budget by R239 million each year, an outrageous financial burden placed on already overburdened taxpayers. 

Ministers are public servants, not royalty, and must live as such. An ActionSA-led government would implement a lean, effective cabinet of no more than 20 Ministers, with all Deputy Minister positions abolished and ministerial perks drastically curtailed.  

Data Source: Parliamentary replies 

6th Administration

Ministers: 30
Deputy Ministers: 36

R1.75 billion

GNU

Ministers: 32
Deputy Ministers: 43

R2 billion

An ActionSA-led cabinet

Ministers: 20
Deputy Ministers: 0

R530 million

We must avoid a continuation of old habits within this new government of national unity, such as the reliance on costly and extravagant travel arrangements despite the mounting socio-economic challenges faced by ordinary South Africans. Under the guise of official duties, taxpayer money is being drained to fund what appears to be lavish travel expenditure.  

ActionSA maintains that transparency in government spending is essential to restore public trust. This metric – which will track Ministries’ travel expenditure and other perks over time – is part of our broader effort to hold officials accountable and to shed light on excessive and wasteful expenditure. When millions of South Africans are unemployed, and essential services remain underfunded, every cent of public money must be spent prudently.  

Data Source: Parliamentary replies, Annual reports 

R94,475,372 CONFIRMED TOTAL SPEND SINCE JULY 2024

Basic Education

R2.47m

 

Communications & Digital Technologies

R4.19m 

 

Defence & Military Veterans

R10.42m

 

Finance

R8.07m

 

Home Affairs

R3.95m

Cooperative Governance & Traditional Affairs

R10.04m

 

International Relations & Cooperation

R21.63m

 

Justice & Constitutional Development

R1.44m

 

Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment

R8.66m

Mineral & Petroleum Resources

R1.92m 

 

Small Business Development

R0.63m 

 

Tourism

R1.92m 

 

Trade, Industry & Competition

R9.57m 

 

Water & Sanitation

R9.56m 

UNCONFIRMED EXPENDITURE

Agriculture?

Correctional Services?

Electricity and Energy?

Employment and Labour?

Health?

Higher Education?

Human Settlements?

Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation?

Police?

UNCONFIRMED EXPENDITURE

Land Reform and Rural Development?

Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities?

Public Service and Administration?

Public Works and Infrastructure?

Science, Technology and Innovation?

Social Development?

Sport, Arts and Culture? 

The Presidency?

Transport?

President?

Deputy President?

THE ECONOMY

Since 1994, South Africa has consistently faced one of the highest unemployment rates in the world, making job creation a critical priority for the current government. ActionSA uses the expanded unemployment rate—which includes discouraged job seekers—to measure progress on this front. We challenge the government to reduce this rate to below 30%, a benchmark last achieved in 2008 during South Africa’s most successful period of job creation. 

Data Source: StatsSA 

Expanded unemployment rate

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 

BENCHMARK: 80,000 businesses supported each year

80,040 businesses supported in 2023/24

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 

Annual GDP growth

BENCHMARK (annual GDP growth rate)
3%-4%
2024 Q1
0.5%
2024 Q2
0.4%
2024 Q3
0.3%
2024 Q4
0.3%

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 

Ranking (out of 67 countries):

2022
0 th
2023
0 st
2024
0 th

Benchmark: 55th (Botswana)

Infrastructure

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 

Global Container Port Performance Index

Benchmark: 103rd (Berbera, Somalia)

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

BASIC SERVICE DELIVERY

Benchmark: 100%

2022
0 %
2023
0 %

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 

Education

The “real” matric pass rate tracks the percentage of learners who complete Grade 12 relative to the cohort that initially entered Grade 10. 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: NSC Examination Reports, Basic Education School Realities 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

BENCHMARK: 1 million students

826,084 students supported in 2021/22

810,376 students supported in 2022/23

2023/24: Annual report outstanding

Crime & safety

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 

The unchecked movement of undocumented individuals across borders complicates effective service delivery, particularly in communities already struggling with inadequate infrastructure and high unemployment. This metric tracks the total annual cost of deporting undocumented foreign nationals and illegal immigrants. By investing in secure and efficient border management systems, the country can reduce the influx of undocumented individuals, thereby decreasing the cost of deportations. These savings can then be redirected toward initiatives that restore the dignity of South African citizens, such as improving access to housing, education, and healthcare services. 

Data Source: Parliamentary replies 

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