On 4 November 2026, Commissioners and staff of the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) will monitor the 2026 Local Government Elections (LGE) across voting districts in all nine provinces. As a Chapter 9 institution established to support constitutional democracy, the CGE considers the electoral process an important opportunity to assess the extent to which the right to participate in democratic processes is enjoyed without discrimination.
The CGE’s concern is to ensure that there are no impediments to any citizen, particularly through gender discrimination, in exercising their rights to participate in elections. The CGE is mandated to promote, protect and advance the rights of citizens to gender equality. The right to gender equality must be seen to manifest in all spheres of human endeavour, including the conduct of elections, political participation and representation within government’s decision-making levels, and within the leadership structures of political parties.
The CGE will send its Election Monitors across the country to monitor the process with the expectation that vulnerable groups in many urban, peri-urban and rural communities, including informal settlements, across this country, will exercise their right to vote.
The CGE’s monitoring will culminate in an Election Monitoring Report that contains the outcome of the CGE’s assessment of the conduct of the 2026 Local Government Elections. The CGE is of the view that the outcome of its monitoring constitutes an important input towards supporting and strengthening our democracy, from a gender perspective/lens.
Enquiries:
Javu Baloyi
Spokesperson
Cell: 083 579 3306
E-mail: media@cge.org.za
Website: www.cge.org.za
X: @cge_za
WhatsApp Channel: Commission for Gender Equality
#GovZAUpdates
