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·      54% South Africans of voting age believe different political parties should work together at municipal level ·      Only 40% believe the country is heading in the right direction ·      39% think that the GNU will fall apart shortly because parties differ too much

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Sizwe sama Yende

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Despite the surge in optimism with the formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU), South Africans relapsed into pessimism they had before the 2024 national elections.

A new Ipsos study – What worries the world - indicates that 80% of South Africans remained deeply pessimistic about their country's direction, saying South Africa is on the wrong track.

“This represents a return to pre-election pessimism levels, despite an initial surge in optimism following the formation of the Government of National Unity (GNU) in mid-2024,” the study says.

The study captures 20 months of online South African sentiment. It shows how public mood fluctuated from the uncertainty preceding the May 2024 national elections, through the challenging GNU negotiations in June, to a notable improvement in July-September 2024 when optimism peaked at 40% saying the country was heading in the right direction.

"The ‘What Worries the World’ study offers an exceptional snapshot of world opinion on pressing global issues. The cornerstone of this study is a question on whether a particular country is going in the right or the wrong direction. The findings of this measurement show that it reacts to the reality on the ground in the country and tells the story of South Africa's political journey over the past two years," said Robyn Williams, Service Line Manager at Ipsos South Africa.

"We can clearly see how major political events, from election uncertainty to GNU formation and subsequent challenges, directly impact public confidence about the country's trajectory."

Williams said that the tracking data showed a clear pattern: initial GNU optimism in July-September 2024 (when 36-40% were positive about the country's direction) gradually declined through various political challenges, including budget disagreements between GNU partners that culminated in the narrow parliamentary budget acceptance vote in April 2025.

Despite the current pessimism, South Africans show measured views on the GNU's performance, according to the latest Ipsos South Africa Khayabus "Pulse of the People" study.

It reveals that just over four in ten South Africans (42%) believe different parties are working together "very or fairly well" in the GNU, while a similar proportion (43%) feel the government is handling inter-party issues adequately.

However, public opinion remains divided on the GNU's effectiveness.

Forty per cent believe that the GNU has changed nothing in South Africa while 39% think that "the GNU will fall apart shortly as the parties differ too much."

Some South Africans are supportive of the GNU as 41% agree that "the GNU is governing in the interest of all South Africans," and 36% say "people like me are satisfied with how the GNU is performing."

Strong appetite for local government cooperation

The study reveals significant support  for inter-party cooperation at municipal level ahead of the local government elections that will take place between November 2026 and January 2027.

More than half of voting-age South Africans (54%) believe different political parties should work together at municipal level, with only 24% opposing this approach.

This sentiment extends across party lines, with supporters from both GNU and opposition parties showing backing.

"What's particularly striking is how this appetite for cooperation cuts across party lines," Williams said. "Even supporters of opposition parties like the EFF (49%) and MKP (45%), who are highly critical of the GNU at national level, still see value in collaborative governance where it directly impacts their daily lives."

This appetite for collaboration becomes clearer when examining current municipal performance across the country. The “Pulse of the People” study reveals widespread dissatisfaction with local government, with nearly 6 in 10 South Africans (59%) dissatisfied with their municipality's performance, compared to 39% who are satisfied.

The crisis extends across all provinces, though with notable variations. While the Western Cape achieves the highest citizen satisfaction at 59% positive ratings, nearly half of the nine provinces fall below one-third approval ratings, including major population centres like KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.