Opposition political party ActionSA has branded the first year of the government of national unity (GNU) as a failed project.

The Herman Mashaba-led party said the GNU is “Unity in Name, Failure in Practice.” This is contained in the statement of assessment that the party issued since the GNU took office a year ago.

The party said it elected not to join the GNU because that would have left the opposition benches to “regressive forces … who played key roles in robbing the state of hundreds of millions during the State Capture era” and other rogue elements.

According to the party, the first year of the GNU has been marred by lavish spending by ministers serving in the government.

“Under the guise of official duties, taxpayer money is being drained to fund what appears to be lavish travel expenditure. Lavish spending has defined Ministers’ first year in office. Based on replies received to date, R204 million has been spent on executive travel. However, this figure is incomplete.

“Two Ministers — Land Reform and Rural Development, and Social Development — have failed to respond more than six months after the question was submitted. Two others — Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, and the Presidency — either failed to disclose any amount or deflected accountability altogether, with one referring the matter to the Standing Committee on Intelligence,” the party said.

It added that under the GNU, unemployment in the country has skyrocketed.

“Under the GNU, the expanded unemployment rate has increased from 42.6% to 43.1%. According to the latest employment figures, nearly 300 000 people lost their jobs in the first quarter of 2025 alone. That means today, 5 000 South Africans will go home and tell their families they’ve lost their jobs, another 5 000 tomorrow and every working day after that. There are now 8.23 million unemployed South Africans, with a further 3.5 million so discouraged that they’ve given up even trying to find work.

“That is 12 million people without opportunity, without support, and without hope. But these are not just numbers. They are the lived experiences of millions of South Africans, real people suffering under a government that has neglected them. When evaluating the GNU, we must ask what the government has done to create jobs, because only sustained economic growth of at least 3 to 4% will lift South Africans out of unemployment. The painful truth is that in the GNU’s first year, annual growth has not breached the 1% ceiling, less than population growth.”