This is a paid article which your subscription is allowing you to read.

As confidence in the Government of National Unity slips and people lose faith in the existing political parties, South Africans are increasingly looking towards political groups that are outside the traditional party system.

The Social Research Foundation (SRF) and The Common Sense polled views on two of South Africa’s most prominent civil activist groups, AfriForum and March and March.

The chart below shows views of AfriForum among all voters, black and white voters, and African National Congress (ANC), Democratic Alliance (DA), and uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) voters.

There is a clear racial split on views of AfriForum (with white voters more likely to view AfriForum favourably than black voters), and another clear, but not as stark, split in party affiliation (with AfriForum’s favourability among ANC and MKP voters lower than among DA voters).

The chart below shows views of March and March.

Again, there is a clear racial split, but this time inverted from views on AfriForum – favourability of March and March among black voters is much higher than for white voters. MKP and ANC voters are also more likely to view March and March favourably than DA voters.

Looking at these findings, an observer could be forgiven for thinking that white and black South Africans are irrevocably split on views of these two activist organisations. However, when a third question is asked something remarkable becomes apparent: white and black South Africans’ views are much closer to each other than one would think from the above data.

The SRF and The Common Sense polled voters on whether AfriForum and March and March should work together. Here majorities – across the racial and political spectrum – said they believed the two organisations should cooperate.

The chart below shows views on whether the two organisations should work together.

The majority of South Africans, across racial and political divides, support AfriForum and March and March working together. Among ANC and MKP voters, more than 70% believe these two organisations should work together.

The significance of these findings extends well beyond AfriForum and March and March. They suggest that even where South Africans differ sharply in their political loyalties, there is a strong desire for cooperation. Yesterday, The Common Sense showed that there are strong majorities who want the ANC and DA to work together in municipalities, if neither party can win a majority, with more than 80% of ANC voters holding this view.

This suggests that the potential for cooperation across the country’s historical divides is considerably greater than the political rhetoric might lead one to believe, boding well for the country’s future.