South Africa: ANC support falls to 40%, according to Ipsos

The growing dissatisfaction of South Africans with the multiple crises facing their country and the emergence of the Umkhonto We Sizwe (MK) party, created in December 2023 by former President Jacob Zuma, are the main factors that have contributed to the deterioration of the popularity rating. historical entertainment, underlined Ipsos. He said support for the main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) remained stable at 21.9%, while the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) were the biggest losers with 11.5% of voting intentions.

“Three decades after the first democratic elections, South Africans are once again facing a pivotal moment. The uncertainty and anxiety surrounding the outcome and potential consequences of the 2024 election echoes the sentiments felt by the nation on April 27, 1994,” said Ipsos Sub-Saharan Africa Director Mari Harris.

Noting that more than a third of registered South African voters say that no political party really represents their views, she noted that only 23% of them believe the country is headed in the right direction, while two-thirds (66%) think it is headed in the wrong direction.

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Furthermore, Ms. Harris pointed out that the ANC’s problems are structural and very deep, as shown by their weaker election campaign than previous elections, especially in certain regions such as KwaZulu-Natal, a stronghold of Zuma’s MK party.

Several recent polls have shown the ANC’s popularity ratings to be in free fall. In an earlier survey, the Ipsos barometer indicated that support for Nelson Mandela’s party was expected to fall below 50% for the first time with 43% of registered voters, while the Social Research Foundation (SRF) estimated the political party’s popularity at 45%.

For its part, the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR) revealed that voter support for the ANC has fallen to 37%, specifying that South Africans’ trust in political leaders and public institutions has never been so weak.

Polls point to the electricity crisis, the cost of living, massive unemployment and corruption as the most important factors that cast a shadow over the country’s historic party’s chances of retaining power.