Who are the African National Congress (ANC) and the Democratic Alliance (DA)? Together with
party membership figures and election results, there is one additional reliable measure—party
identification. The Afrobarometer study asks the question: “Do you feel close to a political party?”
and, if yes, “Which one? “ Six in 10 South Africans do feel close to a political party. This figure has
remained more or less constant since the 2008 Round 4 Afrobarometer study. However, for the first
time, one in ten people feel close to the DA, providing us with a large enough sample (n=229) to look
at the details of those who identify with the party, alongside similar information on the ANC
(n=1064).
This brief provides some profile information on the supporters of each party, as the DA emerges from
its Congress with new leadership (although with the key figures still in place), and as the ANC moves
into its electoral conference, to be held in Mangaung, the city which was the birthplace of the ANC
100 years ago.