Survey: Public trust in officials

Public officials such as councillors and members of Parliament have the scathing disapproval of many citizens who believe that they are involved in one or another form of corruption.

This has been revealed in an Afrobarometer survey co-ordinated by Idasa.

The survey was conducted during the last quarter of 2011 and sampled 2 400 South Africans in the country’s nine provinces.

The outcomes of the survey were presented in Durban by Cherrel Africa from the University of the Western Cape.

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There was a sharp increase in the proportion of respondents who believe that members of Parliament are involved in corruption. In 2008, 25 percent felt that “almost all” or “most” members of Parliament were involved in corruption, compared with 40 percent in 2011,” said Africa.

The survey shows that citizens do not view councillors as people who can solve their problems.

Asked how often they contact local government councillors, 72 percent of urban respondents and 74 percent of rural respondents also said they never contacted councillors. In KZN 68 percent said the same.

Neither national nor provincial MPs and MPLs proved very popular.

The research measured the approval ratings of of nine premiers. KwaZulu-Natal’s Zweli Mkhize had the highest approval rating at 72 percent.

The Western Cape’s Helen Zille, scored 61 percent. Noxolo Kiviet of the Eastern Cape and David Mabuza of Mpumalanga got the lowest ratings.