Majority of candidates contesting the elections are men, as they account for 62% of the candidates, this is according to the IEC. The Electoral Commission updated the media earlier on the finalization of candidates lists.

Other figures released by the Commission show political party candidates have by far more representation than independent candidates. Candidates nominated by political parties are sitting at 99.5% whilst independent candidates make up the remaining 0.5%.

LGE 2026 | IEC CEO Sy Mamabolo has given a breakdown of the demographics of candidates contesting the 4 November polls, saying males make up the majority at 62%. pic.twitter.com/MQhug7vIHE

— SABC News (@SABCNews) September 16, 2026

The Commission says that there is a broad representation across various age categories, however, the youth category is underrepresented, the category aged between 18 to 39 years-old accounts for 32% of the all the candidates.

CASE IN POINT | Thembelani Mazibuko of the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa says the IEC is acting in accordance with the law following the exclusion of more than 2,000 candidates from 45 political parties for missing the candidate submission deadline. pic.twitter.com/lsb17Phh4C

— SABC News (@SABCNews) September 10, 2026

“In terms of gender representation, male candidates constitute the majority at 85263 (62%), while female candidates account for 51 527 which is 38%. Among PR candidates, women represent 44% and men 56%. In ward contests, men constitute 65% of candidates while women account for 35%,” says IEC Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo.

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