Majority of South Africans Want Power Shift From National to Provincial Level

Polling Correspondent

– October 14, 2025

2 min read

Over two-thirds of South Africans support stronger provincial powers to take over failed national functions, signalling a sharp rise in public appetite for federal reform and local accountability.

Majority of South Africans Want Power Shift From National to Provincial Level

Image: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign University Library

When the national government falters, voters want provinces to step in.

That is the clear message from a Social Research Foundation (SRF) survey, conducted in April 2024, which found that 57.5% of respondents strongly agree, and a further 12.4% somewhat agree, that provincial and municipal governments should be allowed to assume services when Pretoria fails.

This federal instinct runs across political and racial lines. Support is strongest among white voters at 70.2%, whilst among black voters, more than half, at 54.8%, back the idea. Broken down by party, 67.8% of Democratic Alliance voters and 55.9% of African National Congress supporters endorsed the principle, while a notable 44.9% of Economic Freedom Fighters voters agreed.