An Ipsos poll has placed the African National Congress behind the Democratic Alliance in Buffalo City as voters look towards South Africa’s next municipal elections.
The survey put DA support in the Eastern Cape metro at 33%, compared with 29% for the ANC. The ANC won 59.4% of the vote in Buffalo City in the 2021 local elections.
In Nelson Mandela Bay, the two parties were tied at 37% in the poll. In the Western Cape, Ipsos recorded 47% support for the DA and 25% for the ANC.
The national and provincial party-choice figures in the same survey were ANC 31%, DA 25%, uMkhonto weSizwe Party 14% and Economic Freedom Fighters 11%.
Ipsos said it interviewed 3,600 randomly selected South Africans in their homes and home languages during June and July. Thirty-three percent of respondents said they were very likely to vote, while 43% said they were likely to vote.
The results measure voting intentions at the time of the survey and are not an election forecast. Support can shift before ballots are cast, while turnout and local candidate choices can materially change municipal results.
Buffalo City and Nelson Mandela Bay will be closely watched because both are major Eastern Cape metros. The Electoral Commission has not yet announced final candidate lists or results for the coming contest.
