Half of SA would still vote for ANC

ALMOST half of South Africans say if general elections were held tomorrow, they would vote for the ANC.

But figures show that by age group, the ANC shows its weakest support among the youth (43% of 18 to 25-year-olds).

The EFF, on the other hand, is stronger among younger respondents (17% of 18 to 25-year-olds) than their elders.

These and other poll figures have been compiled by Afrobarometer ahead of next year’s general elections.

The ANC’s 48% is the same proportion it received in Afrobarometer’s 2015 survey, down from 55% in 2011.

The DA and EFF would tie for second place with 11% each. All other parties would combine for 4% of votes, while more than a quarter (27%) of South Africans say they don’t know which party they would vote for, they would not vote, or they refused to answer the question.

“After a decade of growth on this indicator, the DA lost ground compared to 2015 (17%), while the relatively young EFF has managed to pull even with the DA as the largest opposition parties in South Africa. The ANC is considerably stronger in rural areas (59%) than cities (43%). The DA, in contrast, triples its rural share (4%) in urban areas (14%), while the EFF shows urban-rural balance (11% each),” the report states.

South Africa’s biggest opposition party, the DA, made many gains in the local government election of 2016, but has been plagued by problems since then, the report states.

“These include a water crisis and leadership battle in Cape Town, as well as the unravelling of its winning coalition with the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in Nelson Mandela Bay metropolitan municipality,” the poll found.

The only province where the ANC does not have the largest share of support among these declared voters is Western Cape, where it trails the DA 31% to 23%. The ANC enjoys majority support in the Eastern Cape (69%), Mpumalanga (65%), Limpopo (60%), and North West (55%) provinces. Despite all the varying factors for all parties, about 53% of South Africans say they do not feel close to any political party – the largest proportion of “non-partisans” since 2000.

“A majority of non-partisans live in urban areas, are under the age of 35 and have a secondary or post-secondary education. More than two-thirds (69%) of citizens say the 2014 election was free and fair, yet only about half as many (38%) say they trust the Independent Electoral Commission “somewhat” or “a lot”.

“Six in 10 South Africans (62%) say they would be willing to forgo elections if a non-elected government could provide law and order, housing and jobs,” the report found.

Despite all the varying factors for all political parties, about 53% say they do not feel close to any political party Afrobarometer Poll