ANC-DA Coalition SA’s Top Choice

A new Social Research Foundation poll* shows that an African National Congress (ANC) and Democratic Alliance (DA) governing arrangement is the most preferred coalition option among voters.

Respondents were presented with a range of possible coalition configurations. Forty percent said an ANC-DA partnership was their top choice. By contrast, 10% preferred an ANC-uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK) coalition, while 9% opted for an ANC-Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) arrangement. Only 5% favoured a three-way ANC-MK-EFF coalition.

Support for coalitions pairing the DA with either the EFF or MK was also low. Just 2% backed a DA-EFF-MK grouping, while 5% preferred a DA-MK coalition and 7% supported a DA-EFF option.

Only 5% favoured an EFF-MK partnership.

Among ANC voters, almost half – 49% – said an ANC-DA coalition was their preferred outcome. Nineteen percent supported an ANC-MK coalition and 11% chose an ANC-EFF arrangement. Only 3% selected an ANC-MK-EFF alliance.

A narrow majority of DA voters – 51% – also preferred an ANC-DA coalition, with minimal support for other combinations.

EFF voters were more divided. Nine percent supported an ANC-DA coalition, 32% preferred ANC-EFF co-operation, 13% backed an EFF-MK coalition, and 18% supported an ANC-EFF-MK partnership. Remarkably, 23% selected a DA-EFF coalition as their top choice.

MK voters leaned most strongly toward an MK-EFF coalition at 28%. Twelve percent preferred an ANC-MK partnership, 7% supported an ANC-EFF-MK option, and 15% chose a DA-MK coalition.

Across all major demographic groups – black, coloured, Indian, and white – an ANC-DA coalition consistently emerged as the most popular option. Thirty-five percent of black voters, 44% of coloured voters, 60% of Indian voters, and 59% of white voters selected it as their preferred governing arrangement.

*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.