By 
Jonny Steinberg is well known as an academic, writer and journalist, and one must therefore assume his most recent column was based on a serious review of the research from which he quotes (“EFF support is not coming from the poor”, September 1).
Some of the findings derived from this research show that, in comparison to the DA and ANC voters, those of the EFF are more well-off and better educated. A young middle class where nearly 25% hold a post-matric qualification, and presumably therefore the majority are employed. The equivalent number is 17% for the DA and 12% for the ANC, which are more heavily reliant on lesser-educated voters.
These findings are surprising and certainly give rise to scepticism. This was not a survey undertaken by one of the many specialised research companies in SA — the data is drawn from a set of telephonic interviews guided by a lecturer at Wits. It is unfortunate that no details of the entity and structure of the research are given.
Such random telephonic research is not widely accepted by specialists in the field. Further, the geographic cover, number of respondents, structure of the interview and question format are all factors to be weighed up before making any conclusions on the validity of such research.
The EFF is not clear of accusations of systemic corruption. It expresses racist and xenophobic policies, with a populist ideology not that distant from the fascism of a century ago. Is it feasible that this EFF represents the future political ideals of so many young South Africans ?
Alan Mantle
via email
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