41% of ANC voters think Zuma is innocent

CAPE TOWN – According to opinion pollsters Ipsos Markinor fewer than half (41%) of ANC supporters think that the ANC presidential candidate Jacob Zuma is innocent of corruption. The survey was published yesterday.

Not surprisingly white and coloured South Africans have little confidence in Zuma. Few believe that he is innocent of corruption or accept his explanation that he is a victim of a political conspiracy.On average, only around one in every ten white, coloured and Indian South Africans thinks Zuma is innocent.A key takeout from this data, the pollsters said, was that as the current President and Deputy President of the country – the highest ranking ANC government officials – are not well known to a broad cross-section of the public.’The party would more than likely benefit from ensuring that these individuals gain more visibility during the election campaign – unless of course there is a party agenda to sideline them in favour of the massive public relations drive behind Jacob Zuma,’ Ipsos Markinor said.’It is quite odd that despite the stature of these two leaders, their obvious commitment and loyalty to the ANC and their role in government, they are not well known and perhaps overshadowed by the media attention and political marketing accorded to the ANC President.’At the time of the survey both Mbeki and Zuma were equally popular amongst ANC supporters. At the time of his recall from office, Mbeki received higher confidence ratings than both Motlanthe and Zuma.Ipsos Markinor adds that Julius Malema was rated poorly by most South Africans. He was given poor ratings across the board – only a fifth of ANC supporters (and black South Africans) had confidence in him and he fared particularly poorly amongst white, coloured and Indian South Africans.Phumzile Mlambo Ngcuka received higher ratings (as did Motlanthe) than Zuma among the white, coloured and Indian communities. ‘This is an important consideration for Cope if the rumours are true that she might still join forces with them prior to the election,’ Markinor’s experts say.’It would be in Cope’s interest to make inroads into these support bases in order to build a powerful cross-racial voting block to effectively compete with the ANC.’Motlanthe received the most consistent ratings across the board – fulfilling his role, therefore, as a compromise candidate and vindicating the ANC’s decision to appoint him as interim President. This was, say the pollsters ‘a wise move on the ANC’s part given the political divisions within the party and the country as a result of Mbeki’s recall and the breakaway of prominent ANC members to launch Cope’. – I-Bridge