(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many people in South Africa are concerned about the way things are going in the country, according to a poll by Ipsos Markinor. 42 per cent of respondents say South Africa is moving in the wrong direction, up eight points since May.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many people in South Africa are concerned about the way things are going in the country, according to a poll by Ipsos Markinor. 42 per cent of respondents say South Africa is moving in the wrong direction, up eight points since May.
Thabo Mbeki replaced Nelson Mandela as South Africa’s president after the 1999 general election, where the African National Congress (ANC) received 66.4 per cent of the vote. Mbeki led the ANC to a second majority government in April 2004, with 69.68 per cent of all cast ballots and 279 lawmakers in the 400-seat National Assembly.
In December 2007, Jacob Zuma defeated Mbeki in an internal leadership ballot and became the new leader of the ANC. In January 2008, Zuma was named as the ANC’s presidential candidate.
The rivalry between Zuma and Mbeki brought the ANC to a major crisis. In September 2008, a High Court judge dismissed corruption charges that had been laid against Zuma and accused the Mbeki administration of influencing the prosecution of the accused. On Sept. 21, following the country’s ruling favouring Zuma, Mbeki tendered his resignation as president.
In late September 2008, lawmakers elected ANC deputy leader Kgalema Motlanthe—a former labour leader and former member of the military wing of the party—to replace Mbeki as president. Motlanthe is a close Zuma ally. Zuma is now the ANC’s presidential candidate in this year’s legislative election, scheduled for Apr. 22.
In November 2008, close to 6,500 dissident members of the ANC met in Johannesburg and agreed on the creation of the Congress of the People (COPE), a new political party that will challenge the ANC in this year’s election. COPE includes many supporters of Mbeki who have criticized the ANC for being a "corrupt" and "authoritarian" organization. Former ANC members Mosiuoa Lekota, Mbhazima Shilowa and Mluleki George are COPE’s leaders.
On Feb. 27, Zuma said that one of his main objectives as president would be to reduce "the gap that has been widening all the time between rich and poor," adding that the developments of programs to do so will inevitably be hampered by the global economic crisis.
Polling Data
Would you say that the country is moving in the right direction or the wrong direction?
|
|
Nov. 2008 |
May 2008 |
Nov. 2007 |
|
Right direction |
38% |
46% |
54% |
|
Wrong direction |
42% |
34% |
29% |
Source: Ipsos Markinor
Methodology: Interviews with 3,312 South African adults, conducted in October and November 2008. No margin of error was provided.
