Polling* from The Common Sense and the Social Research Foundation shows that most South Africans back replacing black economic empowerment (BEE) with an empowerment policy based on poverty rather than race. The Democratic Alliance (DA) has proposed such a policy, arguing that BEE has helped a small elite rather than the people who need it most. In March 2026, 63% of voters agreed with the proposal and 29% disagreed. Most black voters agreed too: 56% said yes and 35% said no. Among coloured and white voters, 79% and 95% agreed, respectively. The chart below shows how voters, and each population group, answered.

*The figures come from the Social Research Foundation's March 2026 Market Survey, conducted in conjunction with The Common Sense, a national telephone poll of 2 222 registered voters between 20 February and 6 March 2026, with results weighted to the registered voter population. The survey has a design effect of 3.2675.