Keypoints:
- Sextortion exposes structural barriers to women in politics
- Political parties remain opaque gatekeepers of power
- Gender equality frameworks failing at grassroots level
THE recent revelations from Zambia, first reported by Africa Briefing, are as disturbing as they are familiar. Women aspiring to political office allege they are being asked for sexual favours in exchange for party endorsement — a practice widely referred to as sextortion.
It is a story that shocks, but it should not surprise.
Rather than an isolated scandal, it exposes a deeper truth: despite decades of commitments to gender equality, pathways to political power across much of Africa remain controlled by informal, patriarchal systems that laws alone have failed to dismantle.
Progress on paper, barriers in practice
On paper, Africa has made measurable progress. The continent has adopted global frameworks such as the Beijing Platform for Action, CEDAW and the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 5 on gender equality.
There are clear successes. Rwanda continues to lead globally in women’s parliamentary representation, while Namibia has also become a major symbol of women’s political advancement. Africa Briefing has separately highlighted this shift in its coverage of Namibia’s female leadership breakthrough and in Valerie Msoka’s earlier op-ed on women reshaping political power in Tanzania.
Yet beneath these gains lies a more complicated reality. Across much of the continent, descriptive representation has improved faster than the political systems that determine who gets selected, funded and protected once they enter public life.
The hidden gatekeepers of power
The issue is not simply underrepresentation. It is the process through which political candidates are selected.
Political parties — not constitutions — serve as the primary gatekeepers to power. Within these structures, candidate selection often depends less on merit than on loyalty, patronage and access to entrenched, male-dominated networks.
For women, this creates a double bind. They must navigate formal political requirements while also negotiating informal systems that determine real access to opportunity. In cases such as those alleged in Zambia, these informal rules become explicitly exploitative.
Sextortion is not merely harassment. It is a form of corruption that weaponises gender inequality, turning political access into a transactional space where women’s bodies become bargaining tools. Africa Briefing has already framed the issue this way in its report on Transparency International’s warning about sextortion, which argued that stigma and weak reporting systems help keep the abuse hidden.
Why policies are falling short
This is where international frameworks begin to falter.
Policies can mandate quotas and representation, but they cannot easily penetrate closed-door negotiations or regulate cultural norms that continue to associate leadership with masculinity. Nor can they dismantle the stigma that silences survivors, or address the economic inequalities that leave many women entering politics with fewer resources and protections.
The core barrier is not the absence of policy. It is the persistence of informal power structures that operate beyond formal accountability.
Zambia is not an outlier. Africa Briefing’s coverage from elsewhere on the continent points to similar fault lines. In Botswana, for example, the publication noted how women remained severely excluded from parliamentary politics despite long-running calls for reform.
Elections could deepen inequalities
As election cycles approach across African states, there is a real risk that these patterns will intensify.
Increased political competition often reinforces existing inequalities, making it harder for women to secure nominations and run viable campaigns. Without targeted intervention, gains in representation could stall or even reverse.
That concern fits into a broader democratic pattern. Africa Briefing’s wider political coverage, including its analysis of democratic backsliding across the continent, suggests that institutions are often weakening even where electoral politics remain active.
Who must act and how
The media has a critical role to play, but it must move beyond treating sextortion as an isolated scandal. It should be recognised and reported as a systemic form of corruption that undermines democratic integrity.
Investigative journalism can expose patterns, hold political actors accountable and shift public discourse. At the same time, reporting must remain ethical, ensuring survivors are protected rather than stigmatised.
Civil society must also act as both watchdog and support system — creating safe reporting mechanisms, offering legal and psychological support, and equipping women with the tools to navigate political systems through training, funding and mentorship.
But meaningful change must also come from within political parties themselves. Transparent candidate selection processes, enforceable codes of conduct and structural support for women candidates are essential.
Power, accountability and responsibility
Women across Africa continue to demonstrate resilience, building networks and coalitions that challenge exclusion. Yet the burden of reform cannot rest on women alone.
Male allies, particularly those in positions of power, must move beyond symbolic support. Progress requires confronting entrenched practices within political institutions and challenging systems that perpetuate inequality.
Without internal accountability, reform efforts will remain cosmetic.
Democracy at stake
This is not only a gender issue. It is a question of democratic legitimacy.
The Zambia case underscores a broader reality: democracy does not automatically guarantee inclusion. When access to political office is mediated through informal systems that privilege certain groups, the credibility of democratic institutions is weakened.
Gender equality is therefore not peripheral. It is central to the integrity of governance.
A decisive moment for African politics
There is, however, an opportunity in this moment.
Greater visibility of sextortion can catalyse deeper scrutiny of political systems, expose entrenched patronage networks and prompt reforms that extend beyond gender.
Africa stands at a crossroads. The frameworks for equality exist, and progress in some countries is real. But persistent practices like those alleged in Zambia show that transformation remains incomplete.
The next wave of elections will test whether political systems are willing to evolve — or continue preserving existing hierarchies.
Because when access to power is shaped by exploitation rather than merit, democracy itself is compromised.
