President Jacob Zuma’s approval ratings have steadily improved, and more than half of South Africans believe he is doing a good job, according to a survey released on Tuesday.
The poll, conducted during the last half of June among 2 000 South Africans in metropolitan areas, showed that 57% thought he was a capable president.
TNS Research Studies said the survey was part of a series done since last year, and showed his popularity has increased steadily.
In a poll conducted around the time of the April elections, 52% of respondents said they thought he would make a good president, while in February this was the case for only 40%.
In November 2008, only 36% of those questioned were positive about Zuma.
The release of the latest data comes just after Zuma marked his first 100 days in office and received kudos from some observers for appearing more accessible to the population than previous president Thabo Mbeki did.
A breakdown of the perceptions of Zuma’s performance according to the respondents’ race showed that his approval ratings among white South Africans improved following the elections.
”For all race groups except black South Africans, however, there is a strong ‘wait and see’ sentiment,” TNS Research Studies said.
It pointed out that Mbeki’s approval ratings had showed a markedly different curve.
”Mr Mbeki’s approval ratings were in the mid to low 30s from 1999 to 2002, only beginning to rise in 2003 before hitting a high of 66% in both 2004 and 2005. He ended his term on a rating of 34%.” — Sapa