Having navigated the gauntlet of this year’s budget without taking any hits, Ramaphosa can now turn his full attention to the upcoming election – well, almost, he still has a pretty tough job to do, of course – and to the ANC’s electoral prospects.
Happily for him, all signs are that the ANC will manage an easy victory. A recently released poll shows that nearly 60% of South Africans approve of the ANC and intend to vote for it come May. The survey also found that the ANC’s approval ratings had increased over the last four months, suggesting that the hard work Ramaphosa and his team have been doing has not gone unnoticed.
A strong ANC showing in the election would be good for SA. It would demonstrate for Ramaphosa’s political enemies within the ANC that his approach is working and building support for the party. It would also strengthen his personal mandate as president, giving him more leverage to get things done, like the Eskom restructuring and other necessary but difficult projects.
