Tuesday, 11 August 2026

Coalition politics was flagged as a real risk to women’s representation in the 2026 local elections, with mayoral and executive posts still likely to be traded away in backroom negotiations.

Women’s representation in municipal councils has fallen from 41% in 2016 to 37% in 2021, with violence, corruption, opaque party lists and male-dominated local power structures all cited as key blockers.

New BELA draft regulations were dismissed as inadequate for a school system already strained by overcrowding, learner violence, gangsterism and poor literacy; parents and teachers were urged to push harder in public comment.

Addiction was argued to be a health crisis, not a criminal one, with decriminalisation, harm reduction, methadone-style treatment and better data on overdoses and drug use presented as necessary next steps.