The 2021 local government elections was a whole lot more male, report finds
· Citizen
Women’s political representation fell in the 2021 local government elections, marking a setback as the proportion of female councillors dropped across the country.
As this year’s polls draw closer, a recent Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) report on the last local government elections said women made up 37% of councillors in 2021, down from 41% in 2016.
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The decline meant local government remained well short of the 50/50 gender quota target set by the Municipal Structures Act and the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development.
The report said the study relied on data from the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), local authorities, political parties, media organisations, and independent research institutions.
Pre-election picture
The commission said it reviewed party candidate lists and manifestos from six major parties: the ANC, DA, EFF, IFP, Freedom Front Plus, and ACDP. It said it used a gender-based content analysis to assess how each party treated women’s representation and gender policy issues.
The ANC’s candidate lists showed 45% women and 55% men overall.
The report said the party’s manifesto made some commitments on gender equality, but added that it “appears to say all the right things regarding gender issues, women and equality, although details on concrete strategies and proposed initiatives are scanty.”
The DA’s candidate lists were made up of 37% women and 63% men. The party took a gender-neutral approach and was “silent on gender mainstreaming,” said the report.
It also said the manifesto referred to people in general terms rather than addressing gender diversity and intersectionality, i.e. LGBTQ+
The EFF had 38% women and 62% men on its candidate lists. Its manifesto included more gender-related commitments than in 2016, and the commission said that was linked to a shift with stakeholders, including the LGBTQIA+ community.
The IFP had 37% women and 63% men on its lists. The commission said its manifesto was more detailed than in 2016 and included commitments on women, youth, safety, and food security. It also highlighted pledges to support women-led projects and sanitary dignity for indigent schoolgirls.
The VF Plus had the lowest share of women among the parties reviewed, at 30% women and 70% men. The report said the party was largely silent on gender mainstreaming and continued to prioritise merit over affirmative action.
Election-day observation
On election day, 80% of stations opened on time, while 20% opened within an hour. It said this mattered because delays can disproportionately affect voters, including pregnant women and parents with very young children.
The commission also found that women dominated most election-day roles.
Women made up 56% of party and independent agents, 56% of national observers, 72% of other voting staff, and 66% of presiding officers.
International observer teams were the exception, where men accounted for 57%.
Post-election outcome
66 of the country’s 278 municipalities had no outright winner in the last local government elections, leading to hung councils and coalition negotiations in 61 local municipalities and five metros.
It said the ANC fell below 50% nationally for the first time at local government level, dropping to 46%.
The commission said this signalled a weakening of the party’s dominant position and a shift toward a more competitive multiparty system.
The report also found that women’s representation declined in most provinces after the 2021 elections.
Gauteng fell from 39% in 2016 to 35% in 2021, while KwaZulu-Natal dropped from 36% to 32%. The Western Cape fell from 39% to 37%.
Overall women’s political representation in SA (1995-2021)
The commission said the election results showed a clear loss of progress for women, after the gains of the 2016 elections, and that many parties lacked the internal political will to promote gender equality.
Women’s representation in local government rose steadily from about 19% in 1995 to roughly 41% in 2016, showing strong gains over two decades. However, that progress slowed in 2021, when the overall share of women councillors slipped to about 37%.
It added that parties with formal gender policies performed better. The report said the ANC and EFF, which used gender quotas and “zebra stripe” placement practices, achieved stronger results for women than parties without such policies.
Proportional representation seats have consistently delivered better gender balance than ward seats. ‘
Ward representation for women has remained much lower, peaking at about 37% in 2006 before falling sharply to around 13% in 2021.
The pattern suggests that party-list systems are more effective at advancing women’s representation, while direct ward contests continue to disadvantage women candidates. Since 2016, both PR and ward seats have recorded declines, widening the gap between the two systems.
Provincial representation
At a provincial level, women’s representation has generally improved since 1994, reflecting the impact of gender equality initiatives, quotas and party commitments.
Nationally, the trend climbed from the low 20% to 30% range in 1994 to around 35% to 45% by 2016, although 2021 showed some reversal.
Gauteng and the Western Cape have usually recorded the strongest female representation, reaching about 44% to 46% in 2016. KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape have also improved over time, but have remained slightly behind those provinces.
Smaller provinces such as the Northern Cape and Mpumalanga have shown slower, less consistent growth.
In 2021, provinces such as Gauteng and the Western Cape registered slight declines, possibly because of changes in party lists, weaker outcomes for women in ward elections, or wider political turnover.
The commission said equitable placement on party lists remained crucial because electability is closely tied to where candidates appear on those lists.
It concluded that gender parity in local government will remain limited unless parties move beyond broad commitments and adopt concrete, enforceable measures.