The ANC’s support continues to decline and has dropped to even lower than 50%.
According to the latest poll by the Social Research Foundation (SRF), the ruling party’s estimated support in next year’s general election stands at 45%, compared to the 31% of the votes that the DA is expected to gather on him according to the survey.
With results like these, the ANC is in danger of losing its absolute majority in parliament.
“The data shows that the ANC’s support has shrunk considerably over the years,” says the SRF in a report.
According to the poll, the ANC’s support continued to shrink from where it stood at 52% in March.
The poll was conducted in October and is based on interviews conducted with more than 1,400 registered voters.
The DA’s support increased considerably in the same period – where it previously stood at 24%.
If the election were to be held tomorrow, South Africa’s third largest party, the EFF, would get around 9% of the vote, the SRF poll found.
South Africa’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) said earlier this week that the election is expected to take place between May and August next year.
The ANC has never received less than 50% of the votes in a national election since the dawn of the democratic dispensation almost three decades ago.
However, the ruling party’s image has been greatly damaged by corruption, the favoring of politically connected cadres and a sluggish economy. According to a report that the ANC shared at its policy conference in December, party membership has decreased by more than 30% in the past five years.
In July, the DA announced a coalition with six smaller groups in an attempt to deprive the ANC of its position of power.
