EFF leads parties in women’s representation among councillors

The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) has revealed that the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) recorded the highest women’s representation among political parties with a substantial number of councillors, at 46.2%, following the 2026 local government elections.

This was revealed on Friday, 13 November, during an IEC briefing on the processes to conclude the 2026 elections cycle.

EFF LEADS IN WOMEN’S REPRESENTATION

During the briefing, IEC chairperson Mosotho Moepya revealed that women account for 33.6% of all declared councillors.

Women make up 39.7% of proportional representation (PR) councillors, compared to 26.8% of ward councillors, highlighting that PR lists remain the main route through which women enter municipal councils.

Moepya said that among parties with a substantial number of councillors, the EFF recorded the highest women’s representation at 46.2%, followed by the Patriotic Alliance (PA) at 43% and the Democratic Alliance (DA) at 38.6%. The Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) recorded the lowest representation at 18.7%.

LGE 2026 | IEC Chairperson Mosotho Moepya says the EFF has recorded the highest proportion of women candidates, at 46.2%, for the 2026 Local Government Elections. pic.twitter.com/YPBBkCahXs

— SABC News (@SABCNews) November 13, 2026

AGE REPRESENTATION AMONG COUNCILLORS

The IEC also provided a breakdown of the age demographics of declared councillors, with the average age standing at 47.3 years and the median age at 47.

The largest proportion of councillors falls within the 40–49 age group at 34.9%, followed by those aged 50–59 at 26.2% and 30–39 at 21.8%.

Only 3% of councillors are under 30, while 2.1% are aged 70 or older. Those under the age of 35 account for 10.8% of all declared councillors.

Women are slightly older than men on average, with an average age of 48.2 years compared to 46.9 years for men.

“Among the larger parties, the Economic Freedom Fighters have the youngest councillors on average at 42.5 years, the youngest being 19 years old. The oldest councillor is 86 years old, from the Inkatha Freedom Party in uMlalazi, KwaZulu-Natal,” Moepya said.