Summary

  • South Africans have voted in pivotal general elections in which the ANC could lose its majority for the first time since 1994

  • The party that ended apartheid is under fire over corruption, high levels of crime and economic woes

  • It may be forced to enter into a coalition with one or more opposition parties

  • A record 70 parties participated, with the second biggest likely to be the DA

  • The radical EFF and the new MK party, led by ex-President Jacob Zuma, hope to make inroads

  • Zuma is barred from running for parliament because of a contempt of court conviction, but his name was on the ballot paper

Live Reporting

Wedaeli Chibelushi, Gloria Aradi, Wycliffe Muia, Basillioh Rukanga and Lucy Fleming

  1. Polls open across the country

    There have been some queues at some poll stations with early voters waiting

    Voters are required to have their identification cards

    Polls have opened in South Africa's national and provincial elections.

    There have been some queues at some poll stations with early voters waiting to cast their ballot.

    Voters are electing provincial assemblies in each of the country's nine provinces, and a new national parliament which will then choose the next president.

  2. Voting to start soon

    Farouk Chothia
    BBC News, Johannesburg

    A voter waits to for polling station to open in JohannesburgBBC/Rafieka Williams

    I’m at Joubert Park polling station in the main city Johannesburg.

    It’s the biggest polling station in South Africa with more than 16,000 registered voters - but the biggest South African polling station was abroad, in London, with around 24,500 registered voters.

    They cast their ballots about 10 days ago, along with other South Africans living abroad.

    Joubert Park is named after a mines minister during white-minority rule.

    There was a time when black people could not even sit on the park’s benches - or vote for a government of their choice.

    South Africa put that racist past behind it 30 years ago, when the first all-race elections were held.

    Today, the nation is back to vote in the sixth democratic election, with the fate of the once-revered liberation movement in power since 1994 - the African National Congress - hanging in the balance.

    Opinion polls suggest that it will fall short of an outright majority for the first time.

    Here at Joubert Park, a few people are in the queue, waiting patiently to enter the marquee where they will vote.

    One of them is 48-year-old restaurant worker Benson Ncube.

    “The vote is my power and I am going to use it to decide about the future of my country. I want change.

    "There is too much looting in government,” he tells the BBC.

  3. Voters start arriving at polling stations

    First people to arrive at Joubert Park voting station

    Voters have started arriving in various polling stations across South Africa

    Polls are due to open at at 07:00 local time (05:00 GMT), with 27 million registered voters set to elect a new parliament, which then chooses a president

    It is the most competitive election since the end of apartheid.

  4. Good morning

    Welcome to our special coverage of South Africa’s general election - the most pivotal vote since the racist system of apartheid ended in 1994.

    A record 70 parties and 11 independents are contesting the national and regional elections that will see millions elect a new parliament and nine provincial legislatures.

    The African National Congress(ANC) – the party of the country’s first democratically elected President Nelson Mandela – is facing its biggest challenge since coming to power 30 years ago.

    Polls are due to open in half an hour at 07:00 local time (05:00 GMT) and will remain open until 21:00 local time.