The Western Cape stands out in public opinion as the best-governed province.

According to polling done by the Social Research Foundation (SRF) a majority of Western Cape residents said their province is managed “much better” or “somewhat better” than the rest of the country.

And demographic breakdowns highlight sharp contrasts.

Among white respondents, 83.9% said the province is managed much better, 12.5% said somewhat better, and only 0.8% said much worse. Among Coloured respondents, 50.4% said much better, 42% said somewhat better, and 6.7% said much worse. Meanwhile African respondents were more divided: 8.1% said much better, 39.6% said somewhat better, while 44.8% said much worse.

These findings confirm a striking partisan alignment. Supporters of the Democratic Alliance, which governs the Western Cape, see the province as delivering where national government fails. African respondents more likely to support the African National Congress or Economic Freedom Fighters expressed scepticism, with nearly half saying the province performs worse. The divide is not just political branding: it reflects how lived experience of service delivery and governance quality diverges across communities.

Nationally, other provinces do not command similar perceptions of good governance. In KwaZulu-Natal for example, the SRF found no equivalent endorsement of provincial performance, with attention there dominated by Jacob Zuma’s role and party competition rather than governance quality. The Western Cape is thus the only province where a majority of the province’s residents, across several groups, views its governance as superior to the national norm.

The evidence underlines a broader political truth: effective governance creates reputational advantages that entrench electoral support. If other provinces are to escape the cycle of poor service delivery and low trust, they will need to replicate what Western Cape residents see in their provincial administration.

These results reveal a South African electorate increasingly conscious of governance quality at provincial level. If trends persist, governance perception may become as decisive as party loyalty in shaping electoral outcomes.