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South Africa: President Zuma signals intent to accelerate black involvement in economy after elections
Support for Africa’s oldest political party has dropped by 10 percentage points to 53 percent in the past year, according to a survey of 3,564 adults interviewed by polling company Ipsos in October and November.
Zuma dismissed the forecasts, saying the ANC’s share of vote would likely grow. The ANC’s record of providing 3.3 million free houses to the poor and welfare grants to about 16 million people mean voters will remain loyal to the party that led the struggle against white minority rule, he said.
Opposition political parties are seeking to tap public anger against Zuma and the ANC in the May 7 election. The Ipsos survey suggests the main opposition Democratic Alliance may win 18 percent of the vote, while the Economic Freedom Fighters, led by expelled ANC youth leader Julius Malema, may get 4 percent.
Zuma said he didn’t “pay much attention to opposition parties” because they offered no alternative to voters, with the Democratic Alliance recreating racial segregation in Western Cape, the only province out of 9 that the ANC doesn’t control.
“The Western Cape is the province that most defines apartheid,” Zuma said. “You go to the black areas, there is nothing that is happening and that’s a big problem. People are in trouble and there isn’t much that goes to the black areas. There’s a lot that goes to white areas.”
Zuma first won control of the ANC in 2007 when he defeated former President Thabo Mbeki, became leader of the country 2 years later.
Source: Bloomberg News
