New polling data indicates that large numbers of South Africans have a generally pessimistic view of the country right now. Of more immediate political concern, however, is that a huge percentage simply does not trust Jacob Zuma and believes that the prosecution of him should continue.
With an election just around the corner, this level of negative sentiment surrounding Zuma cannot be good for the ANC’s election prospects. Admittedly, Zuma is not the party, and the party is not Zuma, but the linkages in most peoples’ minds will be quite clear, and these negatives probably represent really good news in the offices of the Congress of the People (COPE) this morning.
