A new Ipsos poll released on Friday 30 October puts the ANC at 30% nationally, described as the party's lowest figure, five days before the 4 November local government elections.
Ipsos director and political analyst Mari Harris said the survey points to new coalition governments in most of the metropolitan municipalities after the vote.
What the poll found
According to the figures reported from the Ipsos survey:
- Johannesburg: DA 30%, ANC 27%.
- Tshwane: DA 34%, ANC 31%.
- Cape Town: DA 51%, a small majority whose outcome will depend on voter turnout, according to the analysis of the poll.
- eThekwini (Durban): MK Party 47%, down from 55% in Ipsos's first-wave poll earlier this year. The ANC stands at 10% in the city.
Reporting on the poll links the fall in MK support to former president Jacob Zuma's absence from the campaign trail.
What the analyst says
Harris said: "This year surveys are showing a continuing decline in support for the party and no party commands strong majority support."
She added: "Looking at the pre-election surveys conducted, we will probably have new coalition governments in most of the metropolitan municipalities after the elections, and there will be many local and district councils governed by coalitions."
According to Harris, "currently, two-thirds of South Africans believe different political parties should also work together on local government and municipal levels."
