There have been several interesting polls ahead of next Wednesday’s elections. Most of them, as is always the case, have major limitations. But all of them are pointing to something important: a shift towards the EFF.
The EFF was born in July 2013, less than six years ago. In 2014, it captured a remarkable 6.35% of the vote. It looks to be on track to get something in the order of 10% to 14% this year. This is astonishing growth, particularly given the existence of a dominant player in the EFF’s target market, in the form of the ANC.
Polls are imperfect. In general, small parties do better in polls than elections, because on election day voters take things more seriously than they do before it – we’ll only know the real score after Wednesday. But it looks like the EFF is on a strong growth path, pulling voters away from the ANC. In time, this may mean an ANC/EFF coalition government, which would likely mean a much more leftist state. After decades of disappointment, South Africans are expressing their anger and their desire for change in the ballot box. The times, they are a-changing.
