These are the sixth national polls since the end of white-minority rule
Anger over corruption, the faltering economy and land reform are key issues as South Africans vote in the sixth democratic national election since apartheid ended 25 years ago.
Young people queuing to vote have been speaking of their difficulties in finding jobs, with unemployment at 27%.
The African National Congress (ANC), which led the fight against apartheid, has governed the country since 1994.
But its support has eroded as large inequalities have remained.
The centrist Democratic Alliance (DA) and radical Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) are providing the main challenges.
“I’m a member of the ANC but I didn’t vote for them this time,” construction worker Thabo Makhene told the Reuters news agency. “They need to catch a wake-up. The way they run the state, mishandling state funds, they’ve lost their morals.”
Esau Zwane, 90, waiting to vote in Soweto, Johannesburg, lived through apartheid. He was celebrating “that our country is now ruled by black people,” he told the BBC.
A young voter said that her future employment prospects were on her mind. “I don’t feel confident about getting the job I want,” she said.
There are concerns about voter apathy. Despite more than 26 million people registering to vote, the highest number in South Africa’s history, local surveys suggest that six million people under the age of 30 are not on the electoral roll.
Esau Zwane, 90, waiting to vote in Soweto, Johannesburg, lived through apartheid. He was celebrating “that our country is now ruled by black people,” he told the BBC.
A young voter said that her future employment prospects were on her mind. “I don’t feel confident about getting the job I want,” she said.
There are concerns about voter apathy. Despite more than 26 million people registering to vote, the highest number in South Africa’s history, local surveys suggest that six million people under the age of 30 are not on the electoral roll.
