Ipsos poll puts ANC at 30% and DA at 28%
Ongoing: Elections Hot
The Ipsos "Pulse of the People" poll says no party will win a national majority in the local government elections, five days away. Pollster Ipsos says most metros are likely to need coalition governments.
Ipsos surveyed 2 533 registered voters between 12 September and 13 October. The ANC won 47% in the 2021 local government elections. The poll puts the MK Party at 12%, the EFF at 10%, ActionSA at 4%, the IFP at 4% and the Patriotic Alliance at 2%.
In Cape Town, the poll puts the DA at 51%. In Johannesburg, it has the DA on 30% and the ANC on 27%. In Tshwane, the DA is on 34% and the ANC on 31%.
Ipsos said the ANC has historically gained support in the final stages of election campaigns. It said the MK Party's 4% in Johannesburg reflects fieldwork done during uncertainty over the hospitalisation of MK Party MP Jacob Zuma.
Ipsos analyst Mari Harris said most metros, if not all, are likely to need coalitions. She said coalitions formed after the 2021 elections often proved unstable, with frequent leadership changes and disrupted services.
Key facts
- Who
- Mari Harris (political analyst at Ipsos in South Africa); Ipsos (pollster that conducted the Pulse of the People survey); ANC (political party); DA (political party)
- What
- Ipsos published a poll, conducted between 12 September and 13 October among 2 533 registered voters, predicting that the ANC would drop from 47% in the 2021 local government elections to 30% nationally, with the DA on 28%. The poll suggests most metros will need coalition governments ahead of the local government elections five days later.
- When
- 30 October 2026
- Where
- South Africa, Johannesburg, Tshwane
- Status
- Reported