Image source, SABC

"The 2024 election is a moment of democratic affirmation," says the chief electoral officer, Sy Mamabolo.

"As has been the case in the last 30 years, our democracy has spoken, indeed the people have expressed their political choices thought the ballot box," he says.

"We must now honour the people’s choices," he added.

"In an election the choice of the voter is sovereign – it may not be negated in any form whatsoever."

Ahead of the announcement of the results, Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mambolo takes the stage to applaud the democratic nature of the general election.

"Today marks a pivotal point point our democratic journey as we gather to draw a curtain on the momentous election - election 2024 was like no other before," he says.

"It's a very short programme that I hope is worth your while", Electoral Commissioner Nomsa Masuku is telling assembled political parties at the national results centre in Midrand.

Proceedings will last one hour, she says.

"We've had bumps against walls and we are still standing," she adds, reflecting on the preceding campaign and voting period.

She is now leading the room in a rendition of the South African national anthem.

A BBC colleague in the hall got this quick picture of President Cyril Ramaphosa walking into the results hall - smiling.

Election results are due to be announced shortly following Wednesday's general election. President Cyril Ramaphosa is attending.

We will bring you updates here.

Image source, AFP

For a party that didn't even exist until a couple of months ago, managing to win 15% of the vote nationally is an astonishing achievement for the MK party. The ANC says that success cost it dearly.

The party wanted the electoral commission to hold off on the final announcement.

But that's not stopped MK supporters celebrating in KwaXimba, in the party's heartland province of KwaZulu-Natal. Here they are dancing and waving flags in the streets:

Image source, AFP

Image source, AFP

Image source, AFP

"Burying our head in the sand while South Africa faces its greatest threat since the dawn of democracy is not an option," John Steenhusien says.

"If you are worried what this nation will look like after these election results, I want to reassure you," he adds.

"I too am a father to three young daughters. And, like millions of other South Africans, I do not want them to grow up in a country run by a party like MK, that wants to abolish the constitution which so many fought and died for...

"This would signal the end of the South African dream of 1994."

Steenhusien, who has been trying to present his party as the most sensible power-sharing partner, says the DA was approaching "exploratory talks with cool heads and an open mind".

He continues:

DA leader John Steehuisen says an agreement between the ANC, EFF and Jacob Zuma's MK would be a "doomsday coalition", adding that his party will "rescue" South Africa from this.

"The DA will not bury its head in the sand, for that is the task of leadership," he says.

Steenhuisen says the DA has initiated "exploratory talks" with other political parties.

Image source, SABC

DA Leader John Steenhuisen says his party is "prepared to work constructively" for the good of the country.

South Africa has "arrived at the next great fork in the road", with the prospect of a coalition government.

Just a reminder that the DA came second in the election with a 22% share of the vote - a small increase on its performance fiver years' ago.

He is addressing the nation right now from the DA's Johannesburg headquarters, Nkululeko House.

The leader of the main opposition DA John Steenhuisen is now addressing the nation.

We'll bring you updates on what he is saying.

The crescendo of this phase of the election process is set to come at 18:00 local time (16:00 GMT; 17:00 BST) with the electoral commission making its formal announcement of the final result.

Before the top poll officials speak, President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to make some remarks.

These are normally a formality where the election commission is thanked, but as they will be Ramaphosa's first comments since it was clear that the ANC had performed so badly, people will pay close attention to what he says.

Before all that, the main opposition DA will make its first formal comments at a press conference called for 17:00 local time.

Farouk Chothia
BBC News, Johannesburg

Image source, Reuters

The biggest threat of violence - once the election results are announced - comes from supporters of former President Jacob Zuma.

So you can safely assume that the warning issued by security chiefs - that instability will not be tolerated - was primarily directed at them.

Mr Zuma has called for a re-run of the election, and does not want the electoral commission to announce the final results - something it plans to do in the next few hours.

Yesterday, he warned the commission "will be provoking us" if it presses ahead with releasing the results rather than yielding to a demand for an independent investigation into his party's claims that the results were rigged.

"Don’t start trouble when there is no trouble,” he said.

Zuma is affable and charming, but he is also an extremely powerful - and ruthless - politician with a cult-like following, especially in parts of his home province of KwaZulu-Natal.

He should never be under-estimated.

Marco Oriunto
BBC News, Durban

As the preparations are under way at the national results centre for the announcement of the final outcome of Wednesday's general election, there will be similar events across the country's nine provinces.

As well as electing a national parliament, South Africans also vote for provincial legislatures.

These will all get going in about an hour and then at 18:00 local time (16:00 GMT; 17:00 BST) they will cross live for the national announcement.

At the results centre in Durban in KwaZulu-Natal province the tables are laid for a gala dinner there.

Thami Ngwira who manages communications for the election commission in the province said the event at Durban’s International Conference Centre was oversubscribed.

“We expect more than 500 people to attend between media and guests, we are not accepting any more applications [for attendance]”.

The newly formed MK part of former President Jacob Zuma dominated the results in the province - getting 45% of the vote share. But the party has said it wants the announcement to be delayed as it has raised some objections.

The country's main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, is due to make its first formal comments on the outcome of the vote in just under an hour's time.

The party has announced that leader John Steenhuisen will address the nation at 17:00 local time (15:00 GMT; 16:00 BST).

It comes after a meeting of the DA's top decision-making body which came together "to discuss the best way forward for the country after the general elections this week delivered a hung parliament and three hung provincial legislatures", the party said.

The DA has secured just under 22% of the vote, which is a small increase on its vote share of five years' ago.

Anthony Irungu
BBC News, Johannesburg

"I hope the ruling party is as shaken as we want them to be," says Asanda Delihlazo who's one of millions of voters born after the ANC came to power 30 years ago, putting an end to the apartheid regime.

Over 40% of registered voters in this election were aged between 18 and 35. And most of them, according to surveys, were not voting for the ANC.

"We need facilities," argues the 29-year-old singer, who says basics "like roads, toilets, water" are lacking in her home region of the Eastern Cape.

Many young people are jobless despite studying for university degrees at great expense to their parents, says 31-year-old Cindy.

"Then they end up turning into drugs, turning into alcohol, making babies for no reason. Our government is busy building parks instead of youth centres, [or] upgrading our youth," she adds.

Self-reliance is the only answer, argues a man who goes by the name of Crow Everyoung. He says the ANC government failed to win outright "but will still be running us anyway" by coalition.

"Us, as the people, we need to find ways to survive. To live."

But Howard Tsotetsi, 33, has faith that a new government could bring real change "if we get somebody young, fresh - young blood".

"I'm very optimistic. It's going to be a beautiful country," he says.

Image source, Newzroom Afrika/Twitter

Law and order forces are primed and ready to "ensure a continued, peaceful environment" once the final election results are announced, says South Africa's Police Minister Bheki Cele.

"There cannot be any room for threats of instability in order to register objections or concerns about the electoral processes," he said pointedly at a press conference just now, warning parties to lodge any grievance they may have through the formal channels.

An official announcement of results from Wednesday's general election are expected on Sunday evening local time.

Only the electoral commission has the authority to announce the results, the police chief reminded South Africans.

"Any attempt to undermine the authority of the state and South Africa’s constitutional order will not be tolerated and will be dealt with accordingly," added the country's security chiefs in a joint, written statement.

Catherine Byaruhanga
BBC News, election results centre

All the focus at the national results centre has been on what the political parties are saying and then next is the final announcement. But it looks there'll also be a gala dinner after the formal proceedings.

The ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said he will be attending despite admitting there was not much to celebrate in his party's performance.

Farouk Chothia
BBC News, Johannesburg

Image source, Reuters

South Africa's governing African National Congress (ANC) is increasingly talking of a government of national unity (GNU) after it lost its parliamentary majority in the 29 May election.

This is is borne out by the headline in the local Sunday Times newspaper, which reads: "Beaten ANC pushes for GNU."

The ANC's vote slumped to 40%, with the party losing its outright majority for the first time since 1994, when Nelson Mandela led it to a resounding victory at the end of the racist system of apartheid.

The idea of a GNU is not new.

South Africa had it after the end of apartheid in order to promote reconciliation after years of conflict.

The GNU was made up of the three big parties at the time - Mr Mandela's ANC, FW de Klerk's National Party (NP) and Mangosuthu Buthelezi's Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).

But about three years later, De Klerk - South Africa's last white president, who held the post of deputy president in the GNU - walked out of it.

This followed sharp differences with Mandela - the nation's first black president - over the future shape of South Africa's fledgling democracy.

De Klerk shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Mandela for negotiating the end of apartheid so his decision came as a shock at the time.

I've heard many people in South Africa say that a fresh attempt should be made to establish a GNU.

They say this is necessary as the ANC can no longer govern on its own, unlike when De Klerk walked out of the Mandela-led government.

South Africa's political parties therefore need to adopt less of an adversarial or confrontational style, and more of a consensual style, similar to Germany where "grand coalitions" - made up of the two biggest parties - tend to survive from election to election.

Many people say this is vital to achieving stability, and tackling South Africa's myriad problems - including crushingly high levels of unemployment, a cost-of-living crisis, and electricity and water cuts.

They feel South Africa should avoid a situation similar to Israel, where coalition governments often collapse or are held to ransom by smaller parties.

This is something that has been happening in South Africa's big cities, where coalitions have been existing since the ANC lost its majority in local elections held a few years ago.

These often collapse as rival parties jockey for power, and make backroom deals - referred to as transactional politics here - to get lucrative posts, and contracts for their business cronies.

At a press conference, senior ANC official Fikile Mbalula said the ANC would hold talks with all parties to see where common-ground can be found, and stable government achieved.

"Let's work together," he said.

Image source, Reuters

A coalition government will bring positive change, says David Mweyi who lives in Soweto, which has long been an ANC stronghold.

"There was state capture and people were looting money, but no-one has been to jail," he tells the Reuters news agency.

Former President Jacob Zuma, who was president until 2018, did spend time in jail - but this was for contempt of court and not for the various corruption allegations which are still being heard in the courts and which he denies.

"For me, I wish it could be a joint coalition of maybe DA and ANC," Mr Mweyi says.

Image source, Reuters

Khotso Nketle says he's also "not impressed" with what the current government has achieved, and thinks power-sharing will be a good thing for South Africa.

"If we don't have one [party] that has the ultimate power - if you have got two or three, I think it would work better for us."

Marco Oriunto
BBC News, Durban

There are some fears in the heartland of ex-President Jacob Zuma that violence could break out if the electoral commission announces the results as planned later today.

Zuma's newly formed MK party has done phenomenally well nationally, but especially in KwaZulu-Natal province - where the results say it has taken 45% of the votes for the provincial legislature.

Zuma has complained of electoral irregularities, believing that the MK got a higher share of the poll. He wants the announcement postponed.

In light of this, Jeen, 60, is worried about the possible reaction coming from Zuma’s supporters if the electoral commission goes ahead.

“I hope there’s still going to be peace and not chaos here in Durban,” she said.

Jeen is reminded of the 2021 riots sparked following the handing down of a prison sentence for Zuma.

“We pray that it doesn’t happen because we have been through it before”.

Anele Hlamini, 26, works in hospitality. She’ll be following the results with her family.

“I’ll have a glass of Merlot will I’ll be watching the results with my parents," she said.

Anele is part of a high number of voters in this region who have withdrawn their support of the ANC.

“Enough is enough, I don’t want the ANC to win. I voted for them for as long as I can remember but they’ve been just so disappointing.”