BP108: Party identification in South Africa: Profiles for the ANC and the DA

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?”  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.