By Alicia Mmashakana
The Government of National Unity (GNU) has performed dismally in its first year, with ActionSA scoring it four in its report card.
ActionSA parliamentary leader Athol Trollip said on Tuesday that the party had decided not to join the GNU in 2024 because it was worried that it would be an extension of the ANC’s style of governance without significant reform.
“We made this decision because with regressive forces in the opposition benches of Parliament, who played key roles in robbing the state of hundreds of millions during the state capture era, along with the radical, violence-inducing rhetoric that was recently put on display for the whole world, we recognised that ActionSA’s most effective role in the 7th Parliament would be that of the constructive opposition,” Trollip said.
According to the party’s GNU performance tracker, which was built to hold the coalition accountable, the GNU scored Fs for ethical leadership and public service, economic growth that creates jobs, improving basic service delivery and law and order that upholds a just society. It got a D for enhancing infrastructure for efficient trade and transport and an E for quality education for all.
On ethical leadership, Trollip said there was an excessive and unnecessary increase in the number of ministers and deputy ministers, with the party estimating that between R350 million and R400 million had been spent on executive travel in just 12 months, with R204 million officially documented.
He criticised the administration for failing to introduce any new economic policy initiatives. The country’s annual economic growth remained stagnant at below 1%, with the National Treasury projecting 1.4% for the year.
On education, the party said there was a decrease in real matric pass rates from 55.3% in 2023 to 53.6% in 2024. It criticised the continued use of bucket toilets in schools, claiming that one out of every 14 schools still used them.
ActionSA highlighted the government’s inability to reduce violent crime and restore public trust in the justice system, and while there had been a year-on-year reduction in the murder rate, the country continued to experience one of the highest murder rates globally.
“During this period, 5727 people were murdered an average of 64 lives lost every single day, or nearly three every hour. These numbers underscore the scale of the crisis, particularly for women and children, who continue to suffer unspeakable violence, with 13,452 sexual offences reported in just three months,” Trollip said.
ActionSA accused the GNU of being ‘bereft of ideas’ and functioning merely as an “implementing agent for the ANC”.
While recognising the necessity for national unity in general, it awarded the GNU an overall grade of E, cautioning South Africans against confusing political accommodation with genuine advancement.
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