Agang doesn't go down well with youth
2013-02-21 22:31
Johannesburg - Nearly half of young South Africans think "Agang" is a stupid name for a political party, consumer insights company Pondering Panda said on Thursday.
Activist and businesswoman Mamphela Ramphele launched a "party political platform" with that name in Johannesburg on Monday.
"We launch this initiative under the name Agang or in the Nguni
languages of our country, Akhani, which can be interpreted in English as
'Build South Africa'," she said.
Pondering Panda spokesperson Shirley Wakefield said young people aged between 18 and 34 were asked what they thought of the name before being told it meant "Build SA" in Setswana.
"Almost half (49%) thought it was a stupid name. In comparison, 25% thought it was okay, and 12% thought it was a good name."
Wakefield said the 1 902 participants were given only the three options to select from in the cellphone survey.
When participants were told the name meant "Build SA", the figures improved slightly, but 30% were still not in favour of the name.
Wakefield said the name chosen for a political party was part of its image and how it was perceived, which made it extremely important.
"Dr Ramphele has chosen a non-traditional name for her party, and while this does help differentiate her party, at this stage, it does not appeal to young voters."
Instead, the survey revealed, the youth were not in support of the name as they did not understand it.
"There is still time before the 2014 elections for Dr Ramphele to increase the visibility of Agang among youth, and define it as a party that supports their interests," Wakefield said.
They survey was conducted between February 18 and 20.
- SAPA
