By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
A new poll gauging the political appetite of South Africans ahead of the 2024 elections has placed the African National Congress (ANC) in the precarious position.
The poll, by the Brenthurst Group, sampled 1,500 registered voters between September and October this year.
It’s predicting the ANC’s share of the votes could fall to 37% in 2024.
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.
Although the ANC still holds the most votes nationwide, it is in serious danger in South Africa’s three largest provinces.
In Gauteng, 37% is tied with the MPC, with 24% of respondents saying they would vote for the DA.
The picture is even worse in KwaZulu-Natal, with the MPC expected to hit 46% of the vote, whilst the ANC only gets 32%.
The MPC is buoyed by the IFP and DA, with 27% and 19% of respondents saying they would vote for parties, respectively.
The ANC should also not expect to make a comeback in the only province that it does not rule over, with the Western Cape likely to stay a DA stronghold.
56% of respondents said they would vote for the DA in the Western Cape, making up the vast majority of the 56% for the MPC.
The ANC, on the other hand, only got 22% of the vote.
Overall, most respondents (74%) said they would be happy to see coalition governments form after next year’s election.
The ANC faces serious political competition with the formation of the MPC, an alliance of opposition parties that includes the DA, IFP, Action SA and FF+, with a five-point difference between the combined vote of the MPC and the ANC, the survey said.
“Although the MPC had been in existence for less than two months at the time of this survey, half of respondents recognised its brand.
“A quarter of respondents said they were more likely to vote for an opposition party following the launch of the MPC. 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%).