ANC government has 100% failure rate on economic targets

The ANC government has not met any of its economic targets laid out in South Africa’s National Development Plan 2030.

In fact, all the indicators, including economic growth, unemployment, and fixed capital formation, are now far worse than when the plan was unveiled.

The South African government published its National Development Plan (NDP) 2030 in August 2012, offering a long-term perspective on where the country should go.

Former Finance Minister and Chairperson of the National Planning Commission, Trevor Manuel, was the driving force behind developing the plan.

Manuel explained that the NDP 2030 defined a desired destination and identified the role different sectors of society need to play in reaching that goal.

It serves as a blueprint for the work needed to achieve a prosperous society for South Africa by the end of this decade.

The core priorities of the National Development Plan are to reduce poverty, unemployment and inequality.

“South Africa can realise these goals by building capabilities, enhancing the state’s capacity, and promoting leadership and partnerships across society,” Manuel said.

The NDP 2030 included all key policy instruments developed in the previous term of government to drive its policy agenda. These included:

• The New Growth Path, which sets the trajectory of economic development.

• The National Infrastructure Plan, which guides the rollout of infrastructure to improve people’s lives and enable economic growth.

• The Industrial Policy Action Plan, which focuses on promoting investment and competitiveness in leading sectors and industries.

“It is a plan for a better future in which no person lives in poverty. By 2030, no one should live in poverty,” said Manuel.

“The National Development Plan is an opportunity to remake the future, to re-energise our people to strive for a future that is worthy of our proud history.”

National Development Plan 2030: Promises versus reality

The National Development Plan 2030 laid out clear targets for economic growth, unemployment, and fixed investment.

The NDP 2030 set a target of an average annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate of 5.4% for South Africa.

South Africa’s real GDP growth was 2.5% in 2012, a slowdown from the 3.5% growth rate recorded in 2011.  The 5.4% target was, therefore, realistic.

It further wanted to reduce the strict unemployment rate from 24.9% in 2012 to 14% by 2020 and 6% by 2030.

The plan set targets to increase the number of people in work from 13 million in 2010 to 24 million and to raise per capita income from R50,000 to R120,000.

It also sought to raise gross fixed capital formation from 17% to 30% of GDP, with public-sector investment specifically reaching 10% of GDP.

With only 4 years to 2030, it is time to take stock of the ANC government’s performance. Simply put, it failed spectacularly.

South Africa’s real GDP grew by 1.1% in 2025. It therefore declined significantly since the NDP 2030 was published, and it is nowhere close to the 5.4% target.

South Africa’s GDP per capita, a core measure of living standards, has decreased over the last fifteen years. This means people’s lives got worse.

The same happened with unemployment. Statistics South Africa’s latest print shows that the official unemployment rate stands at 32.7%, up from 24.9% in 2012.

The other measures, like gross fixed capital formation, were equally dismal. Simply put, the ANC failed spectacularly to meet any of the targets.

The table below provides an overview of the targets set in the National Development Plan 2030 and the current performance.

Metric	NDP 2030 Target	Current Performance	Target
GDP growth	5.40%	1.10%	80% below target
Unemployment	6%	32.70%	445% below target
People in work	24 million	16.8 million	30% below target
Gross fixed capital formation	30%	14%	53% below target