ANC's voters shrug off Nkandla

An exclusive Sunday Times election poll suggests the Nkandla scandal has not cost the ANC too dearly, although its support has declined marginally.

If the trend continues, a two-thirds majority on May 7 now looks unlikely for the party, especially if opposition voters turn out in high numbers.

The poll put support for the ANC at 65.5% on April 4, down from the 66.1% it registered in an earlier Sunday Times poll concluded at the beginning of March.

Julius Malema's Economic Freedom Fighters party appears to have benefited from disenchantment with the ANC; it came in slightly higher at 4%.

The Democratic Alliance was fractionally up as well, at 23.1%.

The new survey went into the field the day after public protector Thuli Madonsela's report on Nkandla was released on March 20.

The survey showed a decline in President Jacob Zuma's popularity among registered voters. His average score out of 10 (with one being "totally against" and 10 being "totally in favour") dropped from 6.5 in March to 6.2 across all voters.

Zuma was booed again this week, this time at a party rally. If his support continues to decline it could constitute a significant problem for the ANC in the closing weeks of the campaign.

In Gauteng and the Western Cape, the two primary battleground provinces of this election, the latest survey suggests the ANC and the DA have consolidated their earlier marginal majorities in the respective provinces, both receiving 60% support.