Most South Africans think that conditions in South Africa have generally not improved since Cyril Ramaphosa became President in 2018.

This is according to a survey of 1 004 registered voters conducted by the Social Research Foundation in February 2025.

In that survey, participants were asked: “How about since Cyril Ramaphosa was elected president in 2018? Have conditions in South Africa generally gotten better since he was elected President in 2018, or have they gotten worse?”

Participants could respond that conditions have gotten somewhat or much better or somewhat or much worse.

Amongst all participants 34% responded that conditions had gotten somewhat or much better and 55% responded that conditions had gotten somewhat or much worse.

When broken down by race 36% of black South Africans responded that conditions had gotten somewhat or much better and 51% responded that conditions had gotten somewhat or much worse.

Amongst coloured South Africans 22% responded that conditions had gotten somewhat or much better and 73% responded that conditions had gotten somewhat or much worse.

Amongst white South Africans 29% responded that conditions had gotten somewhat or much better and 66% responded that conditions had gotten somewhat or much worse.

Amongst Democratic Alliance voters 27% responded that conditions had gotten somewhat or much better and 65% responded that conditions had gotten somewhat or much worse.

Amongst uMkhontoweSizwe voters 1% responded that conditions had gotten somewhat or much better and 77% responded that conditions had gotten somewhat or much worse.

However, amongst the African National Congress’s remaining voters 56% responded that conditions had gotten somewhat or much better whilst 30% responded that conditions had gotten somewhat or much worse.