Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Lizeka Tandwa
Published on 2024-02-19 15:00:00
The African National Congress (ANC) is placing its hopes for a victory in the upcoming national elections on the popularity of President Cyril Ramaphosa. This strategy has been compared to the one used during the 2019 general elections, where the ANC relied on Ramaphosa’s appeal to secure a majority.
According to the ANC’s head of elections, Mdumiseni Ntuli, internal polling has shown that Ramaphosa remains more popular than the ruling party itself. As a result, the ANC’s top leadership, including Ramaphosa, will be stationed in KwaZulu-Natal to deliver the party’s manifesto document to prospective voters.
An internal poll conducted last year indicated that Ramaphosa was polling slightly above the ANC as an organization, and the party is expecting another poll by the end of this month to assess his ongoing popularity. These polls have suggested that Ramaphosa’s popularity is higher than that of his counterparts, including DA leader John Steenhuisen and EFF president Julius Malema.
While these polls indicate a level of dissatisfaction with the ANC’s performance, they also show that there is no apparent alternative to the leadership provided by the ANC. Ntuli believes that this presents an advantage for the ANC in campaigning for the upcoming elections.
However, he acknowledged that the “Ramaphoria” that surrounded the early years of Ramaphosa’s term has diminished, and while his approval rating has been affected, it remains strong. Still, the ANC is keen on leveraging the president’s popularity to win over a segment of the population that historically has not been drawn to the party in large numbers.
Yet, there are challenges to this strategy. A poll by the Social Research Foundation last November suggested that former president Thabo Mbeki was more popular within the ANC than Ramaphosa. This underscores the need for the ANC to carefully gauge support for Ramaphosa, especially in regions where his popularity may be less pronounced.
One such region is KwaZulu-Natal, where Ramaphosa has struggled to gain favor due to former president Jacob Zuma’s enduring presence. Despite this, Ntuli believes that the president’s support in KwaZulu-Natal has improved since 2019 and is confident in the party’s ability to rally support in the region.
The ANC’s reliance on the popularity of President Ramaphosa reflects its confidence in his ability to attract voters and lead the party to victory in the upcoming national elections. While these internal polls suggest a level of dissatisfaction with the ANC’s performance, they also underscore that there is no alternative to the leadership provided by the ANC. As the party prepares for the upcoming elections, it remains to be seen whether Ramaphosa’s appeal will be enough to secure another victory for the ANC.
Read the original article on Mail & Guardian
