Almost half of South Africans say they would support military rule over their current democratic government, according to new findings that reveal deep disillusionment with the country’s political system. The results, reported by The Times UK, mark a dramatic rise in anti-democratic sentiment within Africa’s most celebrated democracy.
The independent research network Afrobarometer found that 49 percent of South Africans now view military rule favorably—an increase from 28 percent three years ago. The survey, conducted in June and July among 1,600 adults, also revealed that seven in ten respondents are dissatisfied with how democracy functions in the country, while a majority believe South Africa is heading in the wrong direction.
The findings underscore growing frustration with the African National Congress (ANC), which has ruled since the end of apartheid in 1994. Once revered under Nelson Mandela’s leadership, the party has faced mounting criticism over corruption, unemployment, and service failures under President Cyril Ramaphosa. “People have political freedom but can’t safely leave their homes without being victims of crime and can’t afford to feed their families,” said William Gumede, founder of the Democracy Works Foundation. “Then to them it doesn’t feel like much of a freedom. Democracy is easy to sacrifice.”
Unemployment was cited by more than half of respondents as South Africa’s biggest problem, followed by crime, water shortages, failing infrastructure, and corruption. Many reported relying on family, friends, churches, and charities for basic survival. The Times UK noted that recent protests over water shortages in Johannesburg illustrated how these pressures have boiled over into violent unrest.
The Afrobarometer report, led in South Africa by the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, paints a sobering picture of a nation once viewed as a democratic beacon for the continent. It reflects a growing belief that democratic institutions have failed to deliver safety, jobs, or fairness—opening the door for nostalgia about the perceived “order” of authoritarian systems.
Experts say that while South Africans’ frustration is understandable, history offers clear warnings. Across Africa, military regimes have repeatedly promised stability and reform, only to bring repression and stagnation. Yet the survey results suggest that many citizens, worn down by decades of corruption and dysfunction, are willing to take that risk. “It is the lack of order, trust in our political leaders and an overall feeling of lawlessness that makes people think that anything else is better than the system we have,” Gumede added. “South Africa is in this mess because people have repeatedly voted for people with a record of incompetence, failure and corruption.”
As The Times UK observed, the country’s 30-year experiment with democracy faces one of its most serious tests yet—whether South Africans can renew faith in civilian leadership, or whether despair will push them to abandon the ideals that once made their nation a symbol of hope for the world.
