South African President Thabo Mbeki's approval rating has plunged nine percentage points in the six months since he sacked former deputy president Jacob Zuma from his government, according to poll results released this week.

Local Sunday Times quoted pollsters Research Surveys as saying that Mbeki's support was down to 57 percent in October, from a career high of 66 percent in April.

The company said in its own analysis that Mbeki was doing well compared with a low of only 27 percent support in February 2002 -- the height of the combined controversies over his views on HIV/ AIDS and Zimbabwe.

Independent political analyst Protas Madlala said the row within the ANC over Zuma's dismissal was the most likely explanation for the decline.

"The Zuma thing would be contributing a lot and for as long as the row drags on, Mbeki's support is likely to trend downwards," he said.

Research Surveys asked 2,000 people in urban areas every two months whether they think Mbeki is doing a good job as president. The survey has a maximum margin of error of 2.5 percent, the company said.

Blacks rate Mbeki twice as highly as whites, but less so in Zuma's stronghold of KwaZulu-Natal.

Support among whites has fallen from a high of 47 percent after Mbeki sacked Zuma to just 32 percent in October.

Among blacks, his support has fallen from 80 percent in April to 70 percent in October.

Among Zulu-speakers, however, Mbeki's approval rating was lower at 67 percent and lower still in KwaZulu-Natal, where 58 percent of Zulu-speakers believe he is doing a good job.

Source: Xinhua