A woman casts her vote in Ntuzuma outside Durban on 26 June 1996 during South Africa's first local government elections in the democratic era. At the local government level, improved participation of women is not only essential for ensuring broader social inclusion, but has also been shown to promote better governance, strengthen policy-making, and enhance community resilience, says the writer.
Adam Randera
With South Africa’s 2026 Local Government Elections approaching, all talk seems to be of the growing prevalence of coalitions in the country.
However, the rise in coalition governance is coinciding with another electoral trend: the stalling of progress in women’s representation in legislative bodies. At the local government level, improved participation of women is not only essential for ensuring broader social inclusion, but has also been shown to promote better governance, strengthen policy-making, and enhance community resilience.
Yet, despite substantial initial progress since 1994 and the introduction of specific policies such as the National Policy Framework for Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality, the country has struggled to consistently elect women to more than 40% of council seats in recent election cycles. Bearing these two trends in mind, it is necessary to ask what impact coalition politics has had on women, both in elected government positions and in the broader society.
