Cape Town - It's the battle of the polls as early indicators try to get a heads-up on who will ultimately end up as the victor after the May 8 general elections.
According to a new poll by global market researcher Ipsos, the EFF is the party trusted the most.
The EFF scored 93% on the trust barometer, while the ANC and DA’s numbers have dwindled to 85%
and 87%.
“This clearly shows that the ANC is no longer a dominant electoral force, but despite their support shrinking, they will remain in power.
“Young people are the bulk of the EFF’s support because they like the radicalism and populism of the party,” said Dr Ntsikelelo Breakfast from the school of Security and Africa Studies at Stellenbosch University.
He said many people believed that the EFF could bring change quickly,
“Political parties have suffered massive blows over the year. The DA in the Western Cape suffered a blow of how they treated Patricia de Lille, and it portrayed a party that used a coloured woman for votes,” Breakfast said.
Trust in the EFF has grown substantially over the years. In November 2017 it had 81% while the ANC had 72% and the DA 87%.
Political analyst Ralph Mathekga said: “This has a lot to do with the EFF’s showing in Parliament. We have seen over the years that the EFF have used their opportunity in Parliament to get a lot done. “They played a significant role during the time leading up to President Zuma’s resignation. So they have done a lot of work.”
Mathekga said that garnering the trust of the public wasn’t easy, but the EFF had managed it.
“People in general are losing trust in the ANC, and it has made them disillusioned because there’s a general decline of trust among the public with leaders, institutions and parties.”
Meanwhile, a poll conducted by the SA Institute of Race Relations (IRR) predicts a massive drop in national support for the ANC and trouble for the DA in the Western Cape.
On a 71.9% turnout scenario, the ANC will get 51% of the national vote in Wednesday’s elections, the IRR poll states, compared with 62.15% in 2014.
IRR head of politics and governance Gareth van Onselen said: “It’s important to appreciate that this poll came out of the field with a few days of the election period still to go.
“The last weeks of an election campaign are a critical period during which, historically, the bigger parties - particularly the ANC and DA - tend to consolidate their vote upwards, and the vote share of smaller parties declines, as their voters are pressured.”
But the pollsters have been swiftly criticised by observers.
Commenting on the Western Cape, the IRR analysis states that in the April polling, the DA’s baseline support level has dropped significantly, to 44.6%, on the provincial ballot.
The ACDP’s support is seen at 7%, the EFF at 6.8% and Good at 2.8%.
The IRR states: “There is a chance of a coalition scenario in the Western Cape, post-election.”
The DA’s Western Cape premier candidate Alan Winde said: “We can’t afford to be complacent.”
@MarvinCharles17
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