Johannesburg: South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) is poised to win a two-third majority in the upcoming general elections May 7, a media report said Sunday based on a poll.
According to the survey pubished by Sunday Times newspaper, the poll found that the ANC looks likely to win 65.5 percent of voter support on an average turnout of 74.5 percent, against 23.1 percent for its major rival, the Democratic Alliance, which scored 16.7 percent in the 2009 elections, Xinhua reported.
The survey also said that the potential ANC voters generally did not consider the ruling party should be held accountable for a scandal involving President Jacob Zuma, who has been under fire for the alleged abuse of public funds in the upgrades of his private home in Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal province.
While the ANC is “still riding high among voters in spite of Nkandla scandal”, Zuma himself has taken a hit in his voter support base, with his approval rating slipping three percentage points to 62 percent, said the poll.
The ANC, a ruling party since 1994, has admitted to irregularities in the project, but insists that Zuma has not been found guilty of impropriety, maladministration or corruption.
Zuma, the present ANC president, is seeking a second term in the upcoming elections.