With South Africa entering an increasingly competitive political era, and the 4 November Local Government Elections little more than two months away, the political support of women voters is likely to prove decisive in determining the country’s political direction.
Yet South Africa’s women voters have long been a surprisingly under-researched and underappreciated feature of the country’s democracy.
Making up for this deficiency is a major new polling report by the Institute of Race Relations (IRR), IRR Polling 2026: The Political State of Play – SA’s Women Voters 2021-2026, which examines the political attitudes and party alignment of South African women, and the implications for the elections in November.
Details will be shared in this morning’s webinar by Hermann Pretorius, author of the IRR’s polling reports since 2024.
Drawing on six years of IRR polling covering the entire current local government cycle, from 2021 to 2026, the report provides one of the most detailed longitudinal examinations yet of South Africa’s female electorate, tracking how women’s political preferences, priorities, and attitudes have changed through a period of profound political upheaval.
To join the webinar, starting at 10am, go to: https://streamyard.com/watch/5MDuNW2qhQHF
[Image: by Ladanifer]