The formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU) following last year’s elections injected both optimism and excitement into the nation’s collective mood. After 30 years of one-party governance at national level, it was no surprise that South Africans embraced this new chapter.
Many citizens looked forward to a visible and tangible change in trajectory, with the hope that the whole would indeed be greater than the sum of its parts. Bringing long-standing political foes together offered a new standard of accountability and a consensus-style government.
Recognising that no political party is without fault, working together allows us to unite as a country by drawing on each other’s strengths rather than highlighting our weaknesses.
On its formation, instead of agreeing on a shared agenda, policy direction and governance plan – and making this public – they forged ahead without these vital components in place. In practice, there were some changes of personnel in the Executive and in Parliament, with ANC policy still at the fulcrum of government.
The hope was that mood and sentiment would keep the ship going on an issue-by-issue basis. This has of course not been the case. The truth is no government can effectively operate in those conditions, let alone a delicate coalition of ideologically divergent parties.
One year later, and it is clear from both statistics and sentiment that the GNU is pulling in multiple directions, all at once. There are fault lines emerging that threaten the entire administration. Policy deadlocks including the BELA bill and the Expropriation Bill have now been compounded by a protracted national budget process which has yielded a no growth, status quo budget.
In our role as a constructive opposition party at the centre of South African politics, we today provide a high-level review of the GNU’s performance during its first year in office.
We have assessed progress made in the following key areas which affect all 63 million South Africans.
- The Economy
- Basic Education
- Crime and Safety
- Effective Government
On these metrics, GNU’s first year receives a 4/10 or 40% grading. In our assessment below we offer constructive feedback on how this can be achieved. There is still time to course correct, but time is fast evaporating.
THE ECONOMY
South Africa’s economy remains stagnant, offering little hope to the millions who are unemployed or struggling to get by. No meaningful structural reform has been announced to restore investor or business confidence. In fact, confidence levels are at historic lows, a reflection of a government more focused on internal horse-trading than bold, cohesive policy direction.
- The economy expanded by just 0.1% in the first quarter of 2025, and barely 0.8% over the past year, despite a full 12 months free from loadshedding.
- Unemployment has worsened, with 427,000 more people joining the unemployment line in just one year. Today, 11.7 million South Africans are ready and willing to work, but cannot find jobs.
Economic inertia has defined the GNU’s first year. This is because the ANC continues to dictate economic policy, while others in the coalition appear content to occupy seats, draw salaries, and avoid difficult decisions. There is no coherent vision, only competing interests and gridlock. In crucial areas such as B-BBEE, the minimum wage, and labour regulations, the GNU’s largest partners remain fundamentally opposed, creating policy paralysis.
The question stands: is the Government of National Unity itself becoming a barrier to the economic reforms South Africa urgently needs?
If the GNU is serious about reversing economic decline, it must take immediate action to implement long-term infrastructure investment, resolve conflicting approaches to transformation and inclusive growth, and prioritise regulatory certainty and a pro-growth labour framework.
BOSA is clear on how to end the stagnation and grow the economy. That’s why we have launched the Growth Charter for South Africa: a bold and credible roadmap to achieve 5% annual growth.
The Growth Charter is a sector-specific reform agenda that unlocks jobs, investment, and innovation across the economy. Its core pillars include energy security; transport and logistics; digital infrastructure; agricultural development; SMME growth; labour market reform; and public sector reform
The GNU’s most glaring failure over the past 12 months is its inability to move the needle on the economy. South Africans were promised change, and they have been handed more of the same.
EDUCATION
In the GNU’s first year in office, and with a non-ANC minister for the first time since 1994, the real matric pass rate declined from 55.3% in 2023 to just 51% in 2024.
Of the 1.2 million learners who started Grade 1 in 2013, only 615,000 passed matric in 2024. This means that over 590,000 young South Africans were left behind by the system.
Despite this, the 30% pass mark for matric persists, a low bar that masks deeper systemic failures. Alarmingly, 81% of Grade 4 learners cannot read for meaning, and in 2021, more than half of Grade 1 learners were unable to identify all the letters of the alphabet after a full year of instruction.
The crisis is compounded by continued cuts to provincial education budgets and teaching posts, leading to worsening overcrowding in classrooms and an ever-growing teacher-to-learner ratio that undermines any hope of quality instruction.
On education, the GNU has heralded quick wins through PR campaigns in an attempt to brush over the deep-lying systemic problems. There appears no appetite to pull off the Band-Aid and get to work on making the tough changes.
If the GNU is serious about securing the future of our children and the country, it must urgently:
- Increase the matric pass mark to 50%
- Reverse budget cuts to education
- Prioritise the recruitment and training of qualified teachers
- Improve early-grade literacy outcomes through targeted foundational interventions
- And ensure robust implementation of both new and existing legislation.
This approach will be vital to addressing the real needs of South African students and fostering a more equitable and resilient education system.
CRIME AND SAFETY
The GNU’s first year in office has not turned the tide on the epidemic of violent crime. With over 80 murders and 135 rapes reported daily, South Africa remains one of the most dangerous countries in the world.
The latest crime statistics reveal that sexual offences have surged to 13,452 reported cases. Rape has increased to 10,688 cases – a 0.3% increase – while contact sexual offences have spiked by a sharp 21%.
Despite a ballooning police workload, averaging more than 300 cases per officer, recent increases in police budgets have not translated into improved crime detection, case resolution, or officer wellbeing.
Meanwhile, R2 billion has been allocated this year alone for VIP protection for members of the GNU. This is equal to the entire annual budget of the Hawks, and more than what is allocated to the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit.
South Africans are being left defenceless while the government protects itself. There is no clearer example of a bloated and misaligned executive. The GNU’s refusal to reallocate resources away from ministerial luxuries and toward frontline services is a betrayal of public trust.
The way forward is the urgent implementation and evaluation of officer training programmes, a clean-up of internal police corruption, and the pursuit of public-private partnerships to bolster state capacity in policing. Furthermore, given the scale of gender-based violence, it is indefensible that the National Register for Sex Offenders remains closed to the public. It must be made publicly accessible.
EFFECTIVE GOVERNMENT
South Africans remain still burdened by an inflated Cabinet, excessive ministerial perks, VIP security details, and underperforming departments that face no real consequences. Despite clear public opposition, no action has been taken to right-size the executive or curb runaway government expenditure.
Political parties in the GNU benefit from this bloated structure, shielding itself from accountability while ordinary citizens pay the price.
The GNU’s first budget revealed just how misplaced its priorities are. Major cuts were made to social development spending, undermining vital support programmes for children, the elderly, and the disabled.
Frontline worker budgets, including those for teachers, nurses, police officers, and doctors were slashed while increased fuel levies have pushed up transport costs and contributed directly to inflation across every sector of the economy. Provincial allocations have been reduced, placing immense strain on local governments and compromising service delivery on the ground.
This is budgeting without accountability. Spending is not linked to performance or outcomes, especially in departments that consistently fail to deliver. Without reform, budget allocations serve more as political gestures than tools for development.
Now more than ever, a wholesale spending review to restore fiscal discipline and refocus government on outcomes is required.
On corruption, the process to appoint a new National Director of Public Prosecutions is urgent. Shamila Batohi’s tenure has yielded virtually no progress in prosecuting those implicated in grand corruption, including those named in the Zondo Commission report. Accountability remains elusive, and the architecture of impunity remains intact.
Parliament must now rise to its constitutional duty. With no party holding an outright majority in portfolio committees, there is a real opportunity to strengthen oversight if the political will exists. The GNU would do well to take Parliament seriously, appear before committees, and account for the performance of departments and Annual Performance Plans (APPs). The leadership of Parliament, from the Speaker to committee chairs, must not act as protectors of the GNU, but rather as stewards of accountability.
Finally, the GNU’s failure to formalise coalition agreements has led to instability and infighting at the local level. Instead of unity, we have seen fragmentation and dysfunction—further eroding trust in government and alienating citizens from the decisions that affect their daily lives.
Lastly, the failure to formalise coalition agreements at all levels has resulted in instability, infighting, and paralysis. Instead of delivering the unity it promised, the GNU has fostered confusion and division, eroding public trust and deepening citizen disillusionment.
South Africa deserves an accountable, efficient, and responsive government. One year in, the GNU has yet to deliver it.
THE WAY FORWARD
The GNU’s first year in office has exposed its true character: not a unity project for the people, but a power-sharing pact among political elites. What should have, and could have, been a moment to reset the country’s course has instead become an elite club with little regard for delivery or reform. The GNU has fallen short in presenting a unifying vision and has not taken the bold steps necessary to address South Africa’s deep social and economic divides.
Instead of tackling corruption, it has protected politicians. Instead of strengthening institutions, it has blurred lines of accountability. Instead of placing citizens at the centre of government, it has prioritised positions for party insiders.
Our verdict is clear: this has been a lost year. 12 wasted months defined by inertia, infighting, and indulgence. South Africans are not asking for miracles. What they are asking for is competence, fairness, and leadership grounded in the public good.
BOSA will continue to expose what is broken, propose what is possible, and push the GNU to deliver on the promise of ethical and effective government, a growing economy, safe communities, and an empowering education system.