(01/08/10) -

South Africans Condone Zumas Performance

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Most people in South Africa are satisfied with the leadership of Jacob Zuma, according to a poll by TNS Research Surveys. 58 per cent of respondents approve of their president’s performance, up five points since September.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Most people in South Africa are satisfied with the leadership of Jacob Zuma, according to a poll by TNS Research Surveys. 58 per cent of respondents approve of their president’s performance, up five points since September.

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.

In December 2007, 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.

In the April 2009 general election, the ANC won 65.90 per cent of the vote and 264 seats—15 less than in the 2005 ballot. Zuma was sworn in as South Africa’s president in May 2009.

On Dec. 31, Zuma told South Africans that 2010 must be a significant year in the history of the country, as it prepares to host the World Cup of soccer, adding, "Together we must make 2010 the year in which we renew our commitment to national unity and nation building."

Polling Data

Do you approve or disapprove of Jacob Zuma’s performance as president?

Source: TNS Research Surveys
Methodology: Face-to-face interviews with 2,000 South African adults in seven major metropolitan areas, conducted in November 2009. Margin of error is 2.5 per cent.