ANC Support Plunges To New Lows Amid Electricity-Rationing Crisis

BusinessDay cites a new opinion poll of registered voters showing that support for the ruling African National Congress has sunk below 40%, marking new lows as South Africa's energy crisis deepens.

• The same survey showed that load-shedding topped the list of most important issues for voters, as continued power outages weigh on consumers and businesses, while the government struggles to come up with quick fixes to the systemic problems hunting South Africa's energy infrastructure.
• The supporters of the main opposition Democratic Alliance held a rally in front of ANC headquarters in Pretoria yesterday to protest against rolling power outages, which in their view are of ANC's making. The police had to step in to keep them apart from ANC Youth League members.
• The Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice & Dignity (PMBEJD) estimated that the recently approved 18.65% electricity-tariff hike may nearly halve the 8% increase in national minimum wage, forcing many workers to reallocate "massive chunks of money" to electricity.
• Communications from the ruling party have been mixed, with different officials outlining different timetables for ending power outages, which electricity utility Eskom warned could last for another 24 months. Failure to contain the energy crisis could become a significant headwind for the ANC ahead of the 2024 election.