Youth don't know Mamphela Ramphele
2013-02-13 22:23
Johannesburg - Young people are largely unaware of who Mamphela Ramphele is and what she is known for, a survey revealed on Wednesday.
Fifty-two percent of people aged between 18 and 32 surveyed said they did not know who Ramphele was, consumer insights company Pondering Panda said.
Of those who claimed they did know who she was, only 26% correctly identified her as a business woman, academic, and medical doctor - the equivalent of 11% of the total sample.
A total of 1 996 people took part in the survey.
"It's clear that if Mamphela Ramphele announces the formation of her own political party, she will have a challenging task ahead of her when it comes to gaining recognition among young people," spokesperson Shirley Wakefield said.
"At this stage she is pretty much an unknown quantity. If she enters the political fray, she is likely to have a much bigger impact on DA support, than on the ANC.
"This is because the Democratic Alliance base has traditionally been older and more upscale than the African National Congress."
Ramphele has been in the news in the past weeks for reportedly planning to set up a new political party.
She has declined to confirm or deny rumours in this regard. Ramphele is scheduled to brief the media on Monday on her "political plans".
She announced her resignation as Gold Fields chairperson with immediate effect on Wednesday.
According to the survey there were different levels of awareness about Ramphele among race groups.
Most young whites (38%) correctly identified her profession. Twenty-six percent of young blacks identified her business and academic background.
- SAPA
