Women may fail to register as candidates of parties and voters because many women are poor and are lodgers in other people's houses so cannot produce documents proving their residence. Landlords are reluctant to give lodgers their documentation for fear of political retribution and victimisation e.g. having their houses stoned or burned down. In some instances, women voluntarily submitted to sexual exploitation in order to gain political mileage, thereby undermining their own integrity. They subsequently lost integrity and compromised themselves in the eyes of the electorate. The media either ignored or portrayed many political women in a negative manner. Some reporters demanded sexual and monetary bribes for coverage of women who ran for political office. Some contesting women are self-effacing and therefore are perceived a slacking confidence and unelectable. Women candidates frequently lacked money to pay for posters, cars to transport campaign teams, food to feed people at meetings and large quantities of regalia such as T-shirts, wrappers, head gear and other accoutrements that are considered necessary as give-aways to voters. Women had inadequate access to the electorate at some places such as beerhalls and nightclubs, shebeens and other places that are culturally viewed as male spaces and therefore unsuitable for self-respecting women. RECOMMENDATIONS Women should be encouraged to vote for women and men who are effective at representing the electorate and improving service delivery. The political parties should publicly indicate how much money has been disbursed to them by government and how much is allocated to each candidate [ 3 [