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JOHANNESBURG. — South African President Jacob Zuma’s support hit an all-time low among youths, a local research group revealed yesterday. In a survey, Pondering Panda interviewed 2 388 respondents, between the ages of 18 and 34 across South Africa, and found that Zuma’s approval is deteriorating among the youth.
Group spokesperson Shirley Wakefield said the respondents were asked whether they thought Zuma was “doing a good job as president. “
“President Zuma’s support has taken a big hit in the last five months, with less than a third of young South
Africans now feeling he’s doing a good job of running the country,” Wakefield said in the report released in Johannesburg.
Pondering Panda said with next year’s elections fast approaching, “it’s clear that Zuma will need to focus more on appealing to young people if his candidacy is not to have a negative impact on the Africa National Congress at the polls. “
Wakefield said the survey found that the number of young people who approved of his presidency fell from 37 percent in April to 31 percent in September.
According to the survey, young black South Africans were the most likely to approve the president’s performance, with 35 percent giving him the thumbs-up.
“In contrast, only 17 percent of whites and 13 percent of coloureds thought he was doing a good job of running the country.
“Zuma lost support amongst blacks and coloureds while his approval rating remained unchanged amongst white South Africans, compared to the April survey,” said Wakefield
The survey revealed that there were also differences in South Africa’s nine provinces. Respondents from KwaZulu Natal, Zuma’s native province, were the most positive, but this was also where Zuma saw the biggest drop in support, from 57 percent in April to 48 percent in September.
The Western Cape and Gauteng provinces were the most negative, with only 19 percent and 23 percent of respondents from these regions respectively “feeling that Zuma was doing a good job.”
Pondering Panda said Free State was the only province where the president’s support grew, from 33 percent in April to 38 percent in September. — Xinhua.
Online Reporter