The following is a precis of key highlights from a November polling survey by the Social Research Foundation (SRF) that tested broad South African opinion on the country’s leaders, political parties, voting behaviour, policy perceptions and the Government of National Unity (GNU).

Each SRF poll produces literally tens of thousands of data points that break down public opinion by every race, gender, age, income, and political category imaginable. Below are ten insights into the latest data and what it reveals about the psyche of the nation.

Cyril Ramaphosa is South Africa’s favourite politician

SRF polls calculate a favourability percentage for politicians. Mr Ramaphosa was viewed favourably by 37% of voters, 17% of voters had a neutral view of him, and 42% viewed him unfavourably. Paul Mashatile, who is in line to succeed Mr Ramaphosa as ANC leader, was viewed favourably by only 10% of voters.

Helen Zille is South Africa’s second most favourite politician

Mrs Zille was viewed favourably by 29% of voters, 16% of voters had a neutral view of her, and 40% viewed her unfavourably. John Steenhuisen was closely behind Mrs Zille with a favourability number of 26%.

Favourability scores for political parties

SRF polls also determine whether voters view parties favourably, and in the November poll the Democratic Alliance (DA) was viewed favourably by 38% of voters, whilst the African National Congress (ANC) was viewed favourably by 27%.

Who would have won an election in November

Had South Africa held an election in November, the ANC would have got the most votes with 37%. The DA would have come in second place with 32%. Together the two parties would therefore have had a very strong 69% national majority. The uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK) would have come in third place with 8%, and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in fourth with 7%. No other party would have won an at all important number of votes.

Why do people vote for their party

The poll tested why people support the party they vote for. Amongst ANC voters only 33% said it was because they believe in what the ANC stands for or that it governs well. For the DA that number was 53%. Other options included that your parents had voted that way, that the party represented your race, or that you did not feel there was a better option.

Which party is the best at service delivery

In answer to this question 37% of voters said the DA, and 16% the ANC. For black voters those figures were 23% and 22%. For ANC voters the figures were 38% and 18%.

Which party has the best policies

The DA came in on top here with 30% of voters saying it had the best policies, as opposed to 22% who said the ANC. Among black voters 30% thought it was the ANC, and 19% the DA. Among Xhosa speakers 41% thought the ANC had the best policies, but amongst Zulu speakers that fell to 21%.

Is the GNU working well

Amongst all voters 49% thought the GNU was working well, and 34% thought it was not. Amongst black voters 49% thought it was working well, and the figure for whites was 50%. For Afrikaans speakers it was 58%, and for English speakers 42%.

What is the best coalition pairing for South Africa

Forty percent of voters said the ANC/DA pairing is the best option for South Africa. In second place they chose the ANC and MK, with 10% of voters preferring this pairing. Amongst ANC voters 49% chose ANC/DA, and 19% chose ANC/MK. For DA voters 51% chose ANC/DA, with no real preference being expressed for anything else.

Will the GNU succeed or fail

South Africans were predominantly hopeful that the GNU would succeed, with 52% saying it would, compared to 32% who said it would not. In total 56% of both ANC and DA voters thought it would succeed.

Methodology: The Social Research Foundation’s Q4 2025 Market Survey was commissioned by the Foundation and conducted by Victory Research among 1 002 registered voters between 27 October and 14 November 2025 using telephonic CATI interviews. A single-frame random digit-dialling design was used, drawing from all possible South African mobile numbers to ensure that every number had an equal probability of selection, with national sim card penetration exceeding 250%, more than 90% of adults owning a phone, and mobile networks covering 99.8% of the population, giving universal practical coverage. The sample was fully weighted to match the national registered voter population across all key demographics, including language, age, race, gender, education, income, and urban or rural location. Turnout modelling assigned each respondent a probability of voting based on questions measuring their likelihood of participation, with the primary turnout model set at 52.8%. The poll carries a 4.0% margin of error at a 95% confidence level, with a design effect of 1.762.