THINGS are not looking good for the ANC on the electoral front, according to a survey conducted by the Brenthurst Foundation in South Africa.
For the party that has been in power since 1994, the ANC’s share of the vote among those who will cast their ballots will fall to 46.7 per cent in 2024, according to the Brenthurst Foundation Electoral Survey 2022.
In the 2019 election, the ANC garnered 57.5 per cent of the vote.
The survey, conducted through in-depth interviews with a random sample of 1,000 voters in late October and early November 2022, found that support for the Democratic Alliance would rise from 20.8 per cent in 2019 to 24 per cent on 2024.
In the case of the Economic Freedom Fighters, its support will fall marginally to around 10.7 per cent.
Over three quarters of respondents said they would welcome a coalition government.
The Western Cape and Cape Town are viewed as the best governed province and city, according to the survey.
On governance, the 24 per cent voting gap between the ANC and the DA narrows to 5.9 per cent.
Over three quarters of respondents want the private sector to help provide key services while
80 per cent of voters and 66 per cent of ANC voters believe the country is going in the wrong direction.
Unemployment and corruption are cited as the country’s biggest problems, with over 50 per cent blaming the ANC government for the problems facing South Africa.
On Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, 74.3 per cent – and 74 per cent of ANC voters – believe it must be condemned, with 80 per cent of South Africans agreeing that their government should support a country invaded by its neighbour.
Western countries are viewed far more favourably than Russia or China, according to the survey.
Dr Greg Mills, Direct of the Brenthurst Foundation, said: ‘The results of this survey clearly show that South Africans are ready for change.
‘They place the blame for what they cite as their major problems – joblessness, corruption and load shedding – squarely on the shoulders of the ANC government of the last three decades.
‘While more will vote for the ANC than any other party, it is revealing that the vast majority want to see a coalition governing South Africa.
‘They see the country in crisis and want leaders to work together to fix it,’ he added.
Mills continued: ‘Voters are also not buying the well-worn scapegoats for the country’s present problems – not many view apartheid and racism as factors in contemporary politics.
‘And they don’t share the ANC’s nostalgia for the Soviet Union.
‘It is striking how many believe Russia’s invasion of Ukraine should be strongly condemned.
‘South Africa is on the cusp of change, but it is up to political leaders to listen to voters and start working on ways to fix the country.
‘The parties that deliver real results on the ground will succeed.’
Established in 2004 by the Oppenheimer family, the Brenthurst Foundation has regularly brought together the world’s leading thinkers and practitioners to consider ways to enhance Africa’s economic growth and development.
