Inter Press Service - October 28, 2003
Noreen Ahmed

Uys was criticising Mbeki for recent controversial remarks reported in a U.S. newspaper that he did not know anyone who had died of AIDS. "Mbeki lies and so condemns his nation to death and that it is time to replace this man with a leader who cares," he said.

During a recent trip to New York Mbeki admitted that one in 10 South Africans - about 5.3 million people - is infected with HIV but said no one close to him had died from the disease.

According to a survey conducted by the ACNielsen Research Group, 41 percent of people considered the government's overall performance "good" or "very good", up from 29 percent a year ago.

Mbeki's approval rating among low earners - with household incomes of less than R800 (about 115 U.S. dollars) a month - was 43 percent, up from 27 percent last year. That income bracket comprises a huge chunk of South Africa's population of 44 million people, where unemployment officially stands at 30 percent.

The research said Mbeki's approval rating had improved because he had stopped his controversial rhetoric questioning the link between HIV and AIDS. His opposition to the war in Iraq and the strength of the rand against international currencies had also helped.

For years Mbeki refused to recognise the link between HIV and AIDS and denied the value of anti-retroviral drugs. But the government recently announced that it would provide anti-retroviral drugs to public hospitals to fight the disease.

Political analysts say the survey, which involved visits to 2,486 households across the country, was likely to boost Mbeki ahead of general elections widely expected to be held in April next year. The ruling African National Congress (ANC) is forecast to win, but analysts say the key question will be whether it will retain its two-thirds majority in parliament.

A second poll, conducted by 'Research Surveys', revealed that 46 percent of South Africans believe that Mbeki is doing a good job as president of South Africa.

'Research Surveys' said the results of the poll stemmed from interviews with 3,500 respondents over the age of 18. Fifty-seven percent of the respondents were in the major metropolitan areas, 25 percent in rural areas, and the remaining 18 percent in small urban centres.

In contrast to the 46 percent, who thought the president was doing a good job, 43 percent felt he was not.

'Research Surveys' said the results for the metropolitan population had improved significantly over time. In February last year only 27 percent of metropolitan South Africans felt Mbeki was doing a good job. This figure rose to 37 percent in February this year and in August stood at 43 percent. Mbeki's popularity was lowest among the youth, the 18 to 24-year-olds, and in the 50 plus category, scoring 43 percent for both groups.

Ahead of next year's elections opposition Democratic Alliance leader, Tony Leon, has stepped up his criticisms of the ruling party. South Africa's "democracy deficit" is increasing as the African National Congress focuses on grabbing more and more power for itself, he wrote in his weekly newsletter last week.

Leon said, while the African National Congress had committed itself to transparent and accountable government in 1994, today it has become accountable to no one but itself. He said the lines between the ruling party and the state had become blurred, as have the lines between parliament and the executive. "As the ANC continues to erode the very practices of transparency and accountability that it promised to uphold, South Africa's democratic deficit keeps growing larger and larger," he said.

The country needs a strong political alternative to the ANC -- one that provides a comprehensive set of alternative policies, could stand up for transparency, and holds the ruling party to account, Leon added.

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has announced steps to get about nine million South Africans on the voters' roll in time for next year's poll. It also unveiled measures aimed at ensuring that the personal details of about 18 million citizens already registered to vote were correct.

At the centre of these efforts, the IEC says, is a registration on Nov. 8-9, when all 16,799 voting stations countrywide will be open.

This is nearly 2,000 stations more than the 15,000 used in municipal elections three years ago - a move aimed at boosting voter numbers by eliminating access barriers. The new polling stations are mostly in rural and under-developed areas.

Some 17.9 million South Africans are already registered to vote. Official statistics estimates there are 27 million eligible voters in the country. IEC spokesperson told IPS discussions were underway with government to fix the date for next year's elections. Under South Africa's constitution, the polls should be conducted by Sep. 2 next year. (END/IPS/AF/SA/IP/HE/SD/NA/MN/03)

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