Post-apartheid South Africa embarked on an important democratisation and decentralisation process that included reforms in local government and traditional authorities in the former Bantustans. A new conception of ʻdevelopmental local governmentʼ introduced the notion of elected local leadership and placed emphasis on improving the quality of life of the previously disadvantaged sectors. Nevertheless, this democratisation and decentralisation process did not contribute to women's political agency and autonomy; instead, it heightened their dependence on traditional councils in politics and reinforced their marginality. This article explores some contextual forms of democratic practice which emerged over time through the interaction of historical and contemporary politics. In doing so, it examines institutional arrangements and policies put in place in the name of democratisation and political decentralisation and the impact of t