Support for South Africa’s biggest political party rebounded after it was forced to scrap plans to raise value-added tax and now stands at 40%, the same as it garnered in last year’s elections, while the nation’s coalition government enjoys widespread popularity, an opinion poll found.

A previous survey showed backing for the African National Congress (ANC) “to be trending down from its 2024 election results, especially during the debate around the VAT increase,” but appears to have since recovered, the Social Research Foundation said in its analyst of responses from 1 004 registered voters who were canvassed earlier this month.

The ANC governed South Africa outright for the first three decades after apartheid ended before losing its parliamentary majority in May last year, a backlash against slipshod government services, rampant corruption and high levels of poverty and unemployment. It then entered into a so-called “government of national unity” (GNU) with the business-friendly Democratic Alliance (DA) and eight smaller rivals to retain power.

Members of the alliance have clashed over a series of laws and the National Treasury’s proposal to raise VAT — a dispute that twice delayed the passage of the national budget.

Support for the DA stood at about 26%, or 4 percentage points more than it secured in the last election. Backing for parties that make up the GNU, which has agreed to prioritise growing the economy, create jobs and safeguard the constitution, cumulatively exceeded 75%, the SRF said — a finding that’s likely to cheer investors.

About 18% of survey respondents said they backed former President Jacob Zuma’s Mkhonto weSizwe Party, which secured 15% of the vote in 2024 and isn’t part of the ruling alliance.

The party’s gains were largely at the expense of Julius Malema’s leftist Economic Freedom Fighters, the Johannesburg-based SRF said.

The survey had a margin of error of 4%.