The cabinet score cards show persistent underperformance

The FW de Klerk Foundation,News24and theMail & Guardianundertake cabinet performance assessments. All three systems correlate well statistically and have shown an improvement in cabinet performance since 2020, from a mean cabinet performance score of 5.21 to 5.5–5.8 in 2025. However, these encouraging improvements coincided with the formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU) in 2024 and 2025.

Fifteen cabinet members in the GNU are underperforming, scoring below the mean or receiving a D grade or below. This number is too significant to ignore. Regrettably, 14 (FW de Klerk Foundation) or 15 (M&G) cabinet ministers continue to perform below the mean.

Approximately 13 of these underperforming ministers (87%) belong to the ANC. This ANC ministerial underperformance has persisted since 2020, 17 in 2020 versus 13 in 2025. In 2020, the cabinet was exclusively ANC.

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In both theM&Gand FW de Klerk assessment systems, no members of the Democratic Alliance (DA) or Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) were found to be underperforming. Despite being flawed, imperfect or complex, these three assessment systems are not valueless. They are a necessary measure to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our leadership.

In 2025, the FW de Klerk Foundation undertook, for the first time, an assessment of the national executive: the president, deputy president, cabinet ministers and deputy ministers. Unlike theM&Gcabinet score cards, the FW de Klerk Foundation provides both a grade and an actual numerical score. Its national executive assessment is biased towards objectivity, unlike theM&GandNews24assessments, which are biased towards subjectivity.

The FW de Klerk Foundation assessment is independent, non-partisan, merit-based, outcome-driven, evidence-based on verifiable data and peer-reviewed. It assessed each office-bearer against five dimensions drawn directly from the Constitution:• Leadership and vision;• Execution and impact;• Integrity and accountability;• Use of public resources, with section 195 as the benchmark; and• Advancement of constitutional rights. As a new system of assessment, the FW de Klerk Foundation adds value and a different perspective to the already establishedM&GandNews24systems.News24did not provide any assessment for the cabinet in 2025.

For comparison in this essay, I focus on the cabinet scores, leaving the deputy ministers’ scores aside. It is a respected but subjective barometer of accountability, focusing on tangible outcomes and adherence to mandates rather than just politics. There are many insights to learn from these report cards despite their shortcomings.

Successive ANC governments have promised life-style audits and cabinet performance contracts but these have not yet materialised. It is common knowledge that many politicians and the public read these reports and form opinions. Those cabinet members who score well appreciate these reports but those who score poorly often criticise the methodology.

Nevertheless, the annual Cabinet Score Cards have become a reality of our political life. Since 2020, the mean cabinet performance in theM&GCabinet Score Cards has improved from 5.2 in 2020 to 5.912 in 2024 and 5.5 in 2025. The last two values correspond with the establishment of the GNU.

In 2020, the cabinet was composed exclusively of ANC members. In this assessment, 56.7% of members, or 17 cabinet members, performed below the mean of 5.2. In 2025, the mean cabinet score of theM&Gassessment increased to 5.51, following the formation of the GNU by a coalition of ten parties. In theM&Gassessment, 15 cabinet members, or 46%, performed below the mean of 5.51.

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