The Democratic Alliance has condemned ActionSA for attacking political polling, saying it is disingenuous of political parties to call for its regulation just because the results do not favour them.
DA Gauteng party leader Solly Msimanga said it was interesting that a political party that used polling to its benefit in the local government elections two years ago was now calling for its regulation.
“I find it very interesting and ironic that the same political party that has been using polls to garner support and show that they are close to the DA or are going to surpass us, is now crying foul because polls are not favouring them.
“The same people who are complaining about polling regulation are the same people who used the same polling to campaign two years ago at the local government elections.
“In fact, just recently they were even saying how they are now polling around 25%-26%, using the same polling to release statements boasting about their performance.”
Msimanga said polling is a science and takes several things into consideration, including sample size, methodology, geographical coverage and living standard measures.
The poll generates the narrative of and from the rooi gevaar through alarming figures of MK and EFF support — a favoured campaign approach of the DA to animate its core support base
— Michael Beaumont, ActionSA chairperson
“You don’t have to like something only when it benefits you, only when it places you in a light that you like. We have had polling companies that have really got it wrong against us a number of times. Ipsos is one of them.
“Even before 2016, when before I became mayor of Tshwane, Ipsos was saying we will get 16% or less in Tshwane — and we got double and even more than that.”
Understanding polls
The DA premier candidate told TimesLIVE Premium his party did not go around calling for the gagging of polling houses because there are systems they use to make determinations.
“Maybe what we need to look at is to ask for clarity around the sample size and method behind the polling so that we can understand how they reached their results. It does not mean we have to gag them.”
He said Action SA was hell-bent on taking action against the “unregulated polling industry” which it says has been abused to enable political disinformation.
Action SA claimed media practitioners and news channels relied on these polls to peddle this disinformation.
“In the instance of the most recent poll, the outcomes place the DA at record levels of support (something which appears at odds with a party that has lost support in all demographics) and that MK and the EFF are growing prodigiously,” said ActionSA chairperson Michael Beaumont.
“To answer the question that the journalist does not pose cui bono, who benefits — the DA benefits from the artificial illusion of growth from a poll, which they themselves supply, that places them at 19% in KZN (up from 13% in 2019) and 30% in Gauteng (up from 27% in 2019). Similarly, the poll generates the narrative of and from the rooi gevaar through alarming figures of MK and EFF support — a favoured campaign approach of the DA to animate its core support base.”
ActionSA further stated its case, referencing a Brenthurst Foundation poll that placed the DA at 27% (up from 20% in 2019).
“Similarly, the poll paints the picture of a surging MK at 13% — a practical impossibility for a party whose support is almost entirely limited to KZN and parts of Mpumalanga. However, like the other polls referenced, it is helpful to paint a narrative of DA growth and the useful stick to whip out the vote against threats of a growing left alliance.”
Beaumont said polling in SA needed to be regulated to avoid voter manipulation.
“This is precisely why many countries have elected to regulate the polling industry.
“France has regulations governing the publication of polls during periods of election campaigns. In Canada, opinion pollsters must register with their electoral agency and adhere to regulations concerning the disclosure of the methodology and sponsorship of a poll. Brazil requires political polling companies to register with their Superior Electoral Court to provide information on who commissioned the poll, its methodology and its margin of error.”
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