ANC-DA-MPC coalition most preferred amongst South Africans – survey

Clarence Ford interviews Ray Hartley, Research Director at the Brenthurst Foundation.

Listen below.

Following the 2024 election, a survey unveiled compelling preferences among South Africans, indicating a strong inclination towards an ANC-DA coalition, possibly incorporating other Multi-Party Charter participants like the IFP, as opposed to potential alternatives such as an ANC-MK Party or ANC-EFF coalition.

This survey succeeded previous polling conducted by the Sabi Strategy Group in March 2024, which forecasted a decline in ANC support to approximately 39%, alongside projections that the MK Party would emerge as the third-largest party, exerting significant influence in KwaZulu-Natal.

Commissioned by the Brenthurst Foundation and executed by SABI Strategy, researchers telephonically interviewed 1000 randomly selected respondents. 

The findings presented the following preferences:

• ANC-DA-MPC: 40.2%
• ANC-MK: 19.5%
• ANC-EFF: 11.5%

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Hartley expresses his surprise at the findings, given their confidence in the accuracy of their pre-election surveys, which had been proven highly reliable.

He notes that this underscores the disparity between the chatter on social media and the actual sentiments and experiences of the populace.

Despite the buzz surrounding smaller parties before the election, they ultimately failed to make significant waves.

Hartley attributes this to their inability to distinguish themselves from the larger, more prominent parties.

As political parties continue negotiations for potential coalitions, anticipation builds for Parliament's inaugural session scheduled for Friday.

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"On the ground people make very pragmatic choices."

- Ray Hartley, Research Director – Brenthurst Foundation

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview.