Ahead of the 2024 election nearly seven-in-ten South Africans endorsed a coalition between the African National Congress (ANC) and Democratic Alliance (DA), showing that co-operation politics gained mass backing well before leaders signed Unity agreements.

Polling carried out before the May 2024 election tested a grand coalition scenario between the ANC and the DA. Sixty‑nine percent of respondents endorsed the idea, including 63% of ANC voters and 72% of DA supporters. Black, coloured, Indian, and white voters all registered majority approval, a rare moment of alignment in South Africa’s fragmented electorate.

The findings suggest that people were already looking past party lines toward practical partnerships able to fix electricity, crime, and unemployment. Many respondents volunteered that they were tired of blame games and wanted leaders to get on with the job. That frustration translated into support for a Government of National Unity (GNU) weeks later.

Crucially, the appetite for co-operation emerged before elites negotiated terms in Parliament, underscoring that voters, not politicians, were the early adopters of unity politics. The data therefore offers a benchmark against which the current GNU will be measured. Should the coalition lose its reform drive, citizens who granted it a mandate will notice quickly. For opposition parties the lesson is equally clear. Campaigns that promise collaborative, results‑oriented governance resonate far beyond traditional party bases.

South Africans have shown they are ready to back common‑sense alliances that deliver services and growth. Leaders who ignore that signal risk being judged as obstacles to progress.