IEJ | 30 June 2025
Seventy years after the Freedom Charter first declared that “the people shall share in the country’s wealth,” South Africa finds itself grappling with persistent inequality, economic stagnation, and a political landscape redefined by coalition governance. One year into the Government of National Unity (GNU), we’re asking: does this new political configuration open space for real economic transformation, or simply entrench the status quo?
To unpack these questions, the IEJ and the highly popular SMWX platform have co-hosted the fourth edition of the Economic Justice Matters discussion series, titled: Contestation and Possibility: Economic Policy in the GNU. Moderated by Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh and featuring Febe Potgieter (ANC Head of Policy), Dr Sithembile Mbete (PARI), and Neil Coleman (IEJ), the discussion explores the tensions, contradictions, and potential openings shaping economic decision-making under the GNU.
This is not a theoretical debate. As Neil has written, the GNU poses an existential question for progressive forces: how do we contest regressive economic policy while engaging strategically with a shifting political reality?
Some expected the GNU to shift the ANC rightward, particularly on macroeconomic policy. But over the past year, we’ve seen a somewhat surprising posture emerge from the ruling party, one that has pushed back on austerity, supported measures like basic income and NHI, and opened up space for debate on Treasury orthodoxy. Whether this signals real change or rhetorical repositioning remains unclear, but it does suggest that contestation within government is alive, and perhaps growing.
The discussion takes place against the backdrop of deepening social crisis, widespread political alienation, and the ANC’s loss of its majority. This volatile mix has created both dangers and opportunities. On one hand, there is a vacuum in political representation and an emboldening of reactionary forces. On the other hand, the political pressure on the ANC to deliver, combined with new configurations of power in Parliament, could shift policy in more progressive directions.
But this shift won’t happen on its own. As Neil points out, the left faces a choice: retreat into oppositionism and risk irrelevance, or navigate a difficult balance of mobilisation and engagement to push for structural change. The stakes are high. Economic policy decisions made in the coming months will either stabilise society and unlock inclusive growth or deepen the country’s multiple crises.
The Economic Justice Matters series aims to provide a space for precisely this kind of reflection: grounded in context, open to complexity, and focused on the strategic questions that matter. As South Africa enters a new political era, it’s time to ask hard questions about where we’re headed and how we make progress towards a just economy.
Watch and comment on the full discussion on SMWX’s YouTube Channel, launched today, 30 June 2025.
Read Neil Coleman’s article The ANC, the GNU, and Economic Transformation.
Read the concept note that informed and framed the discussion.
Amaarah is a Junior Programme Officer in the Rethinking Economics for Africa project. She is currently studying towards her Masters in Applied Development Economics at Wits University. 
Dr James Musonda is the Senior Researcher on the Just Energy Transition at the IEJ. He is also the Principal Investigator for the Just Energy Transition: Localisation, Decent Work, SMMEs, and Sustainable Livelihoods project, covering South Africa, Ghana, and Kenya.
Dr Basani Baloyi is a Co-Programme Director at the IEJ. She is a feminist, development economist and activist. She gained her research experience while working on industrial policy issues in academia, at the Centre For Competition, Regulation and Economic Development (CCRED) and Corporate Strategy and Industrial Development (CSID) Unit.
Dr Andrew Bennie is Senior Researcher in Climate Policy and Food Systems at the IEJ. He has extensive background in academic and civil society research, organising, and activism. Andrew has an MA in Development and Environmental Sociology, and a PhD in Sociology on food politics, the agrarian question, and collective action in South Africa, both from the University of the Witwatersrand.
Juhi holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations and Sociology from Wits University and an Honours degree in Development Studies from the University of Cape Town. Her current research focus is on social care regimes in the South African context, with a particular focus on state responses to Early Childhood Development and Long-Term Care for older persons during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her other research areas include feminist economics, worlds of work and the care economy.
Bandile Ngidi is the Programme Officer for Rethinking Economics for Africa. Bandile has previously worked at the National Minimum Wage Research Initiative and Oxfam South Africa. He holds a Masters in Development Theory and Policy from Wits University. He joined the IEJ in August 2018. Bandile is currently working on incubating the Rethinking Economics for Africa movement (working with students, academics and broader civil society). 
Liso Mdutyana has a BCom in Philosophy and Economics, an Honours in Applied Development Economics, and a Masters in Applied Development Economics from Wits University. His areas of interest include political economy, labour markets, technology and work, and industrial policy. Through his work Liso aims to show the possibility and necessity of economic development that prioritises human wellbeing for everyone.
Joan Stott holds a Bachelor of Business Science in Economics and a Master’s in Economics from Rhodes University. She brings to the IEJ a wealth of experience in public finance management, policy development, institutional capacity-building, and advancing socioeconomic and fiscal justice.
Siyanda Baduza is a Junior Basic Income Researcher at IEJ. He holds a BSc in Economics and Mathematics, an Honours degree in Applied Development Economics, and is currently completing a Master’s degree in Applied Development Economics at the University of the Witwatersrand. Siyanda’s research focuses on the impacts of social grants on wellbeing, with a particular focus on the gendered dynamics of this impact. His interests include applied micro-economics, policy impact evaluation, labour markets, gender economics, and political economy. He is passionate about translating economic research into impactful policy.
Shikwane is a Junior Programme Officer at IEJ focusing on civil society support and global governance in the G20. He has a background in legal compliance, IT contracting and student activism. He holds degrees in Political Studies and International Relations, as well as an LLB, from the University of the Witwatersrand.
Dr Tsega is a Senior Researcher focusing on Women’s Economic Empowerment within the G20. She examines gender equity in economic policy, with expertise in food systems and small enterprise development. She holds a PhD in development studies from the University of the Western Cape, an MA in Development Economics, and degrees in Development Studies and Economics from UNISA and Addis Ababa University.
Nerissa is a G20 Junior Researcher at IEJ, focusing on advancing civil society priorities within the G20 framework. She bridges data, research, and policy to advance inclusive economic frameworks. She is completing a Master’s in Data Science (e-Science) at the University of the Witwatersrand, and holds Honours and Bachelor’s Degrees in International Relations with distinction. She has worked as a Research Fellow at SAIIA and a Visiting Research Fellow at Ipea in Brazil.
Dr Mzwanele is a Senior Researcher supporting South Africa’s G20 Sherpa with policy research. He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Birmingham and an MSc from the University of the Witwatersrand. His work covers open macroeconomics, trade, finance, and higher education policy, and he has published widely on inequality, unemployment, household debt and higher education curriculum reform.
Kamal is the Project Lead for IEJ’s G20 work, focusing on sovereign debt and development finance. He holds a BComm (Hons) in Applied Development Economics from the University of the Witwatersrand and an Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters in Economic Policies for the Global Transition. He has worked with SCIS, UNCTAD and co-founded Rethinking Economics for Africa.