{"id":98610,"date":"2025-06-24T12:34:49","date_gmt":"2025-06-24T10:34:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/?p=98610"},"modified":"2025-06-24T12:34:49","modified_gmt":"2025-06-24T10:34:49","slug":"anc-rebounds-in-polls-but-experts-warn-stability-depends-on-policy-clashes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/anc-rebounds-in-polls-but-experts-warn-stability-depends-on-policy-clashes\/","title":{"rendered":"ANC Rebounds in Polls, but Experts Warn Stability Depends on Policy Clashes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za<\/a>
\n3-minute read
\n24 June 2025 | 11:45 CAT<\/p>\n

\"\"

\ud83d\udcf8 ANC Bounces Back in Polls, But Only Bold Action Will Secure Voter Confidence.<\/p><\/div>\n

A recent shift in public opinion has seen the ANC regain lost ground in national polls, with support rising from 32% in February to 40% by June. This comes after a volatile few months in which public reaction to key government decisions, particularly around tax policy has caused a stir among voters.<\/p>\n

According to Researcher Gabriel Makin, \u201cThe February dip was largely due to a significant portion of voters, around 15% being unallocated to any party. That\u2019s a first for our polling models.\u201d The stagnation during that period pointed to rising dissatisfaction and indecision, particularly around the ANC\u2019s unpopular VAT hike.<\/p>\n

Makin explains that the key turning point in public sentiment was political conflict, specifically the ANC’s defense of the VAT increase and the DA\u2019s rejection of it. \u201cThe DA gained traction by opposing the VAT hike, pushing its support above 30% at one point,\u201d he notes. \u201cMeanwhile, the ANC saw its support fall dangerously close to the 30% threshold.\u201d<\/p>\n

But as the VAT debate quieted and inter-party clashes subdued, voter alignment reverted. \u201cIn the absence of conflict, the ANC settled back at 40% and the DA to 26%, roughly aligning with their previous election results,\u201d Makin said. \u201cIt\u2019s a strong message to strategists: passive governance and lack of clear opposition don\u2019t shift voter loyalty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the EFF has seen a significant decline in support. Makin attributes this to a lack of visible progress. \u201cAfter 15 years, if your biggest achievement is one Constitutional Court ruling, and your presence has amounted to more bark than bite, then voters will move on, especially when new, \u2018hot and fresh\u2019 options like MK emerge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Analysts suggest the lesson is clear: to influence change, parties must act decisively. \u201cIf the ANC wants to grow, it must actively improve people\u2019s lives,\u201d Makin advised. \u201cIf the DA wants to challenge the ANC, it must force them into public positions on unpopular policies.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the GNU in place, voters may appreciate cooperation, but only if it delivers real, tangible results. Makin warns: \u201cStability without progress is just inertia. And political inertia won\u2019t win the next election.\u201d<\/p>\n

Listen<\/strong> to the full interview on Your World Today <\/em><\/a>with Mufti Yusuf Moosagie and Researcher Gabriel Makin.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za 3-minute read 24 June 2025 | 11:45 CAT A recent shift in public opinion has seen the ANC regain lost ground in national polls, with support rising from 32% in February to 40% by June. This comes after a volatile few months in which public reaction to key government decisions, particularly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":98611,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[28,5451,4995],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","category-political","category-south-africa"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/ANC-DA-EFF.jpg?fit=370%2C240&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc0QIf-pEu","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-20 20:32:16","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98610"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98610\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/98611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}