South Africans “want policies and politics that unlock job creation, reward merit, hunt for every cent of value, safeguard what people own, and put real choices on such vital issues as education, housing, and health care directly into their hands”.

This is the summary of the findings on policy questions, in polling conducted by the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) over several days straddling March and April. Analysis of these findings is contained in the second of three reports − Policy Preferences of Registered Voters – which was published at a webinar this morning.

Author of the report and IRR Head of Strategic Communications Hermann Pretorius presented the findings and answered questions at the webinar.

The report notes: “Across race, age, income and party lines, this consensus is overwhelming. Parties, policymakers, businesses, and citizens now face a straightforward choice: realign around that centre of gravity or persist with projects voters regard as wasteful, unfair, or threatening?”

The IRR points out that its polling shows that “ANC policy is out of step with the majority of its remaining supporters”.

“On all policies investigated in this report, ANC government policies are out of step with the preferences of notable majorities (65-79%) of self-identified ANC supporters:

  • 73% favour merit-based appointments to all jobs over race-based targets or quotas;
  • 65% favour public procurement based on value-for-money considerations over racial targets;
  • 79% oppose the Expropriation Act – which is higher than the national average;
  • 78% favour a government focus on job creation over expanded welfare support and grants; and
  • 77% believe tax-funded voucher-based systems for housing, education, and health care would be more effective empowerment policies than current affirmative action and employment equity policies.

Key overall findings are:

  • Job creation remains top national priority: Reinforcing a multi-year pattern in IRR polling, unemployment and job creation rank highest as the preferred national priority;
  • Merit trumps race: A large majority of 84% support merit-based appointments to all jobs. This figure combines those who favour merit-only appointments (30.5%) and those who favour merit-based appointments with special training for people from previously disadvantaged groups (53.5%);
  • Value-for-money trumps race-based procurement targets: A large majority of 81.7% want the state to buy from the best-priced supplier. This figure combines those who favour purely value-for-money procurement with no racial considerations (54.1%) and those who support value-for-money procurement with racial considerations acting merely as tiebreakers where two companies offer equal value for money (27.6%);
  • Property rights trump expropriation without compensation: A substantive majority of 68.1% oppose the Expropriation Act signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa in early 2025;
  • Work trumps welfare: A large majority of 77.8% favour a government focus on job creation over expanded welfare support and grants, and
  • Choice trumps state-controlled empowerment policies: A large majority of 76.3% believe tax-funded voucher-based systems for housing, education, and health care would be more effective empowerment policies than current affirmative action and employment equity policies.

To watch a recording of the webinar, go to: https://irr.org.za/reports/irr-polling/pro-growth-or-pro-poverty-findings-of-irr-polling-2025-report-2-policy-preferences-of-registered-voters

 [Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/governmentza/14060591495]

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