South Africa is more likely than ever to have a coalition government after next year’s elections, a Brenthurst Foundation survey found.
The ruling party's support dropped from 48% in November 2022 to 41% in October this year, with voters citing joblessness, corruption, load-shedding and crime as the country’s biggest problems, its results show.
Of the 1,500 registered voters who completed the questionnaire in October and November 2022, 80% said they were “almost certain” they were going to vote.
“Some 57% of voters cited ‘the ANC government of the last three decades’ as the principal cause of South Africa’s problems. This is up from 51% who blamed the ANC a year ago.”
In light of the party seemingly losing support, the survey revealed that the multiparty charter (MPC), made up of the DA, IFP, FF Plus, ActionSA and the United Independent Movement (UIM), was likely to get 36% of the vote.
The majority of respondents (74%) said they would be happy if a coalition governed South Africa. This, they said, would usher in an era of fierce political competition, with 24% saying the launch of the MPC made them more likely to vote for an opposition party.
“This suggests there may be significant voter support upside in greater name recognition for the MPC and greater clarity on its policy focus and narrative.
According to the survey, President Cyril Ramaphosa's popularity also plummeted — from 48% to 42% this year. “Those rating him unfavourably rose from 32% a year ago to 40%.”
The survey added that South Africans believed co-operation with the West and other democracies (40%) would benefit the South African economy more than alignment with Brics (28%).
Another notable finding was rising support for the EFF — up from 11% a year ago to 17%. With ANC support declining, this signalled a greater possibility of an EFF-ANC coalition, raising questions regarding its political options for the moderate centre.
TimesLIVE
South Africa's coalition future revealed as ANC support dips: Survey
Image: Thulani Mbele
South Africa is more likely than ever to have a coalition government after next year’s elections, a Brenthurst Foundation survey found.
The ruling party's support dropped from 48% in November 2022 to 41% in October this year, with voters citing joblessness, corruption, load-shedding and crime as the country’s biggest problems, its results show.
Of the 1,500 registered voters who completed the questionnaire in October and November 2022, 80% said they were “almost certain” they were going to vote.
“Some 57% of voters cited ‘the ANC government of the last three decades’ as the principal cause of South Africa’s problems. This is up from 51% who blamed the ANC a year ago.”
In light of the party seemingly losing support, the survey revealed that the multiparty charter (MPC), made up of the DA, IFP, FF Plus, ActionSA and the United Independent Movement (UIM), was likely to get 36% of the vote.
The majority of respondents (74%) said they would be happy if a coalition governed South Africa. This, they said, would usher in an era of fierce political competition, with 24% saying the launch of the MPC made them more likely to vote for an opposition party.
“This suggests there may be significant voter support upside in greater name recognition for the MPC and greater clarity on its policy focus and narrative.
According to the survey, President Cyril Ramaphosa's popularity also plummeted — from 48% to 42% this year. “Those rating him unfavourably rose from 32% a year ago to 40%.”
The survey added that South Africans believed co-operation with the West and other democracies (40%) would benefit the South African economy more than alignment with Brics (28%).
Another notable finding was rising support for the EFF — up from 11% a year ago to 17%. With ANC support declining, this signalled a greater possibility of an EFF-ANC coalition, raising questions regarding its political options for the moderate centre.
TimesLIVE
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