South Africa's government announced on 7 August 2026 that its local government elections will take place on 4 November 2026. The date is published in Government Gazette No. 55162. These are municipal elections, not elections to the National Assembly.
For Gender and Elections Watch Africa (GEWA), the election is an opportunity to examine women's participation as candidates and voters, their election outcomes, and the implementation of gender-related political commitments. GEWA will distinguish verified candidate statistics from representation after election day, and official voter turnout from any separately sourced turnout figures by gender.
The government statement calls on women, young people, persons with disabilities and people living in rural areas to participate. This invitation should not be mistaken for measured participation, turnout or election results.
As of 22 October 2026, GEWA has not verified an election-specific women-candidate total or gender-disaggregated turnout figure for this election and will not supply estimates as if they were official data.
Primary source: https://www.gov.za/news/media-statements/minister-velenkosini-hlabisa-gazettes-date-2026-local-government-elections-07 Source publication date: 7 August 2026. GEWA editorial review date: 22 October 2026.