HOWARD BARRELL, Johannesburg | Friday
PRESIDENT Thabo Mbeki’s standing among South Africans has plummeted in recent months, according to the results of a wide-ranging public opinion poll released this week.
Only one in two South Africans (50,2%) approves of the job he is doing, according to a survey by the Institute for Democracy in South Africa (Idasa). In May, nearly 71% of South Africans thought he was performing well or very well and, in June/July, 66% thought the president was discharging his duties satisfactorily, according to polls by Markinor.
A poll by Research Surveys Omnicheck in metropolitan areas in August found that 46% of black women said Mbeki was “doing a good job” – a decline of 10 percentage points from the 56% measured in July, and a fall of 23 percentage points from the 69% measured as recently as February 2000. Among white males, the proportions fell from 24% to 13% over the same period, and among white females from 24% to 11%.
The Idasa survey indicates that, if one set of issues has damaged Mbeki, it is probably the economy. The government’s poorest ratings come on job creation, an issue on which only 10% think the government is doing “fairly well” or “very well”. Its next poorest score is on inflation. Only 17% believe the government is doing a good job in keeping prices stable.
The government scored poorly, however, on crime. Its attempts to curb lawlessness were approved by only 18% of South Africans. Perhaps surprisingly, some 38% approved of the government’s attempts to prevent the spread of HIV/Aids.
The government’s greatest strength with voters was its provision of housing and services. Some 61% of people thought it was doing well or very well on the provision of water and electricity, 50% in the case of housing, 49% on education and 43% in the area of health care.