Zuma scores fairly in SRF favourability poll

Almost one in three South Africans are favourable towards former president Jacob Zuma, whose new political party, Umkhonto Wesizwe, is expected to cost the ruling ANC votes in this year’s elections, according to a Social Research Foundation (SRF) poll.

The SRF surveyed 1,400 registered voters nationwide and 2,400 in KwaZulu-Natal.

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ZUMA MORE POPULAR IN KZN THAN NATIONALLY

They were asked how they felt about Zuma on a scale of zero to 100, with 0 being an icy unfavorable feeling, 50 being not particularly warm or cold, and 100 being a very warm favorable feeling.

The data revealed that Jacob Zuma’s favourability score is 28.9% amongst all registered voters nationally and 63.1% amongst all registered voters in his home province, KwaZulu-Natal, a critical electoral battleground.

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FAVOURABLE OR UNFAVOURABLE OR VERY UNFAVOURABLE

Scores of 89 and higher were recorded as being ‘very favorable,’ and scores of 64 and above were recorded as ‘somewhat favorable.’

Scores of 39 to 63 were recorded as ‘neutral,’ scores of 14 to 38 as ‘somewhat unfavorable,’ and 13 and below as ‘very unfavorable.’

The KwaZulu-Natal data is based on a survey of 2 432 geographically and demographically representative registered voters commissioned by the Foundation in September 2023.

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MK MIGHT ‘SHAVE OFF’ A FEW ANC VOTES

The SRF is a think-tank focusing on public policy issues and the promotion of democracy. It warned that favorability does not easily translate into electoral support without a strong party infrastructure.

The Foundation says Zuma’s new political venture MK might, at best, shave just a few political points of the ANC’s support base.

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