Voters across South Africa will head to the polls today in an election which will test the ruling party’s mandate to fix the country’s deep-rooted issues. Residents voting today will consider the levels of corruption which have permeated the country’s political landscape for years under the now-ousted President Jacob Zuma. With a whopping 26.76 million registered voters having their say on a record 48 parties in the ballot, it will be an interesting day in South Africa.

These national and provincial elections are important for South Africa for a number of reasons. The South Africa election today is the first since former president Jacob Zuma resigned, leaving acting president Cyril Ramaphosa to prove he could manage the mess left behind and restore the African National Congress to its former glory. The African National Congress (ANC), which led the fight against apartheid, has governed the country since 1994. But support for the ANC has eroded as large inequalities have remained. The centrist Democratic Alliance (DA) and left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) are providing the main challenges. A massive number of South Africans have registered to vote, but six million young people failed to register to vote - a concerning trend for the ruling party that needs to reconnect and engage with younger voters to survive.

South Africans will vote today, which is a public holiday in the country. Polling stations were opened at 7am and will close at 9pm local time. (6am to 8am BST). All voters who are in the queue by 9pm will be allowed to vote.

When can we expect a result? Results usually take two to three days to emerge - more often it is three - so a result is expected by Saturday, May 11. Votes from abroad and most special votes have already been cast, but the rest of the country will head to the ballot boxes today. How do these elections work? The general election in South Africa involves two votes: one national and one provincial. The national government vote is for the body that will make and carry out laws and policies across the whole country. This is made up of parliament and is led by the president of the country and ministers.

The provincial government vote is for the body that makes and carries out laws and policies that only impact the province. South Africa is made up of nine provinces and the provincial government devise legislature concerning these areas. The provincial government is led by a premier and members of the executive council, called MECs. The voting system in South Africa is one of proportional representation, so voters do not choose an individual candidate at the polls but instead vote for a party as a whole.

This means political parties get a share of seats in parliament in direct proportion to the number of votes received in the election. Each party then decides on members to fill the seats it has won. The president is the leader of the party which wins a majority in the national vote. </s> May 8 (Reuters) - South Africa's African National Congress faces its toughest electoral test on Wednesday, seeking to reverse a slide in support from voters frustrated by rampant graft and racial inequalities a generation after it won power in the country's first all-race poll.

Voting in parliamentary and provincial elections begins at 7 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) and polling stations will close at 9 p.m..

LATEST HEADLINES > S.Africa's ANC seeks to reverse sliding support in tough election > ANC vows to act on corruption; EFF promises radical reforms

ANALYSIS, FEATURES > South Africa's Ramaphosa faces obstacles to reform > BREAKINGVIEWS-South African reforms need gentle voter kicking > As elections loom, South Africans call for faster land reform > Frustration over racial disparities builds as poll nears > Squalid conditions fuel frustration in South African township > Will young voters have their say in South Africa's election? > S.Africa faces unrest if ANC doesn't reform -opposition > ANC vows to punish corrupt officials as national vote nears > Main opposition party promises to lead coalitions, tackle racism > Anger at corruption dents faith in president, ANC before poll > ANC elders criticise "tainted" officials on election list

FACTBOXES, POLLS, RELATED STORIES > Key issues in South Africa's May 8 election > The main political parties in South Africa's election > What has changed in South Africa since white rule ended? > Support for South Africa's ANC at 51-61 percent, opinion polls </s> South Africa election polls have opened, and a record number of voters have registered to have their say in the general elections. The day has been declared a national holiday by President Cyril Ramaphosa. Polls opened at 7am local time (6am BST) and will close at 9pm local time (8pm BST).

A total of 48 political parties will contest South Africa’s general election today, in what is a record number. The number of voters has already caused issues in voting, as IEC voting stations at Action Cricket Venue in Rinaldo Road and Corovoca Primary School in Avoca ran out of ballot papers before 9:00am local time (8am BST). Voters in these areas are now facing delays, and elsewhere protests are holding up the voting process. According to The South African, in the town of Holpan outside Barkley West in the Northern Cape, eyewitnesses have reported: “a group of disgruntled residents are preventing prospective voters from excising their democratic right to vote”. Read More: South Africa election 2019: Could South Africa run out of electricity?

Can you vote as an expat in Britain in South Africa election? According to the Electoral Commission of South Africa, British expats can vote in the election. But those who are intending to do so from abroad must have already registered and cast their postal vote. Today’s polls are for residents in South Africa, as those outside of the country or not able to vote in person on the day have already done so. The Electoral Commission says: “If you are a registered voter and either live abroad or will be abroad on election day in South Africa, and you have valid South African ID as well as a valid South African passport (valid temporary passports are also accepted), you are eligible to vote abroad.

“However, you must also submit a VEC10 during the period specified in the election timetable (15 days from the date on which the election is proclaimed) notifying us of your intention to vote abroad.” Those wishing to do so must have confirmed registration status online, notified the Electoral Commission of your intention to vote, and selected the foreign mission at which you intend to vote. In order to vote once registered, voters must follow these steps according to the Electoral Commission: Take both your green, bar-coded South African ID book; smartcard ID; or valid Temporary Identity Certificate (TIC) AND your valid South African passport or temporary passport to the foreign mission indicated on the confirmation we sent you via email or text. </s> South Africans will head to the polls on Wednesday, May 8, in the first general elections since Jacob Zuma was ousted from his presidency. And as the nation is gearing up for a pivotal election all eyes are on whether the African National Congress (ANC) will retain its majority. Voters will elect a new National Assembly and provincial legislatures in each province and it will be the sixth elections held since the end of apartheid in 1994.

Who will win the elections in South Africa this week? The 2019 South African general elections have been billed as the most important elections since the nation transitioned into democracy in 1994. And all eyes will be on the African National Congress (ANC) as the party attempt to retain its majority in the South African National Assembly. The party, led by incumbent president Cyril Ramaphosa, has been the ruling party of post-apartheid South Africa since the election of Nelson Mandela in the 1994 election. READ MORE: South Africa election polls 2019: When is South Africa election?

Winning every election since - the ANC has pressure to continue as South Africa’s governing political party. But a recent poll, conducted by Ipsos has shown that the party’s support has dropped from around 61 percent in March to 56,9 percent in April. During the last elections in 2014, ANC won with 62,2 percent of the votes. But the ANC is not the only party seeing declining support from voters.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) are down from 18 percent in March to 15 percent in April. During the 2014 elections, the DA received 22 percent of the vote. The support for the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is also slightly down, with 9,5 percent of the vote compared to 10 percent in March. However, the result is significantly up from the 6.4 percent the EFF scored during the last elections. </s> SEMONKONG, Lesotho (AP) — People in mountainous Lesotho, some wrapped in blankets to ward off the morning cold, are voting in national elections amid concerns about chronic political instability in the southern African country.

Voters on Saturday lined up outside a polling station in a tent in the central town of Semonkong.

Elections were called after Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili, whose coalition took power in 2015, lost a no-confidence vote in parliament in March. Mosisili’s main rival is former ally and predecessor Tom Thabane, who fled to South Africa in 2014, saying soldiers planned to assassinate him as part of a coup attempt.

South Africa, whose territory surrounds Lesotho, has mediated among factions in the nation of two million people. </s> It is D-day in South Africa and polls have opened in what is the country’s sixth general elections since returning to democracy from apartheid 25 years ago.

So, what are the stakes here in this election? President Cyril Ramaphosa is battling it out with Julius Malema from the Economic Freedom Fighters, and Mmusi Maimane from Democratic Alliance, the two main opposition parties in the country.

The elections, will determine the next president of the second largest economy in Africa and will elect a new National Assembly and provincial legislatures.

Now the fact of the matter is that special voting actually had begun since Monday in what was designed to allow for people who might be unable to do so today. Our Journalist Daniel Mumbere is in Pretoria for us and has been monitoring the situation with voting there. </s> South Africa goes to the polls today in its sixth general election since the end of apartheid in 1994.

The ruling African National Congress says it's confident it'll retain its majority in parliament.

But President Cyril Ramaphosa will need a strong mandate to execute his reforms on corruption and economic inequality.

And after a quarter of a century in power, it remains to be seen whether the ANC can still appeal to voters.



Guest: Sheila Meinthes, politics professor, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg </s> Cape Town (AFP) - South African President Jacob Zuma faces a no-confidence vote by secret ballot in parliament Tuesday, with opponents hoping that discontented ANC lawmakers could help oust him from office.

Criticism of Zuma from within the African National Congress (ANC) has grown over corruption scandals and economic woes, and the celebrated party of Nelson Mandela has declined sharply at the polls.

But the ANC -- which holds a large majority in parliament -- welcomed the decision to hold the vote by secret ballot and said it expected the no-confidence motion to fail.

Several opposition parties will lead a protest to the national assembly in Cape Town on Tuesday ahead of the parliamentary session due to begin at 2:00 pm (1200 GMT).

"ANC MPs now have no excuse. They must use their vote... to remove Jacob Zuma," the main opposition Democratic Alliance party said after the speaker of parliament made a surprise decision Monday to hold the ballot in secret.

Zuma has easily survived several previous parliamentary votes held without secret balloting.

A 201-vote majority would be needed to remove him from power, and the ANC holds 249 seats in the 400-seat parliament. His cabinet would also be forced to resign.

"It's a long shot to expect a significant number of ANC MPs to vote against their own party and let the opposition claim this big political scalp," independent analyst Daniel Silke told AFP.

Zuma, 75, is due to step down as head of the ANC in December, and as president before the 2019 general election -- lessening pressure for his party to trigger imminent change.

The secret ballot has been subject to a long legal battle waged by opposition parties, who hope that ANC lawmakers will now be emboldened to vote against him without fear of intimidation.

Last week ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu acknowledged recent criticism of the party, including the impact of a cabinet reshuffle in March when respected finance minister Pravin Gordhan was replaced with a Zuma loyalist.

Gordhan's sacking led to a string of downgrades to South Africa's credit rating as well as causing the rand currency to tumble.

Public support for the ANC, which swept to power under Mandela in the first non-racial elections in 1994, slipped to 55 percent in last year's local polls -- its worst-ever result.

A handful of MPs, including Gordhan, have joined calls from anti-apartheid veterans and trade unions for Zuma to resign, as South Africa endures record unemployment and a recession.

Zuma has been engulfed by corruption allegations since coming to office in 2009.

A court last year found him guilty of violating the constitution after he refused to repay taxpayers' money used to refurbish his private rural house.

He has been accused of being in the sway of the wealthy Gupta business family, allegedly granting them influence over government appointments, contracts and state-owned businesses.

He is also fighting a court order that could reinstate almost 800 corruption charges against him over a multi-billion dollar arms deal in the 1990s.

Zuma is seen as favouring his ex-wife, former African Union chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, to succeed him ahead of Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa. </s> While the Ipsos ‘Pulse of the People’ study has a limited scope with regards to its method and sample range, it sure does provide some interesting insight into voter confidence. In the Western Cape, for instance, the survey reveals a huge drop in numbers for the Democratic Alliance (DA).

The Western Cape has always been a major stronghold for the DA, while the African National Congress (ANC) has dominated most other provinces since the dawn of democracy, only recently losing municipalities in Gauteng and Nelson Mandela Bay.

The recent voter survey undertaken by global market research and a consulting firm, Ipsos, shows the DA losing it’s Western Cape grip, while the ANC gain on the old guard.

Ipsos randomly selected 3 738 adult South Africans to be interviewed in their homes and chosen languages. The ANC still firmly leads the charge on a national level, with 60% of those interviewed indicating they’d vote for the current leading national party.

While the survey reveals a slight dip in voter confidence for the ANC, it pales in insignificance compared to the hard losses absorbed by the DA.

The official opposition party gathered 22% of the votes in the 2014 general elections, but the recent survey reveals only 13% of people would vote for the DA again.

It’s not just the national tally which will have the DA sweating – in the Western Cape, the survey reveals a narrow margin of 2% between the DA and ANC.

The Democratic Alliance have already questioned the authenticity and accuracy of recent voter surveys, maintaining that the only poll the political party cares about is the general election poll in 2019.

IOL received comment from Mari Harris, Ipsos director of public affairs, who provided insight into the poll, its findings and conclusions.

Harris commented on the ANC’s position in the study compared to last year’s survey, noting that results from 2017 put the leading party at 45%. That points to a national increase of 15%, which Harris attributes to faith inspired by new President Cyril Ramaphosa, saying:

“The Ramaphosa factor is big because suddenly there is a leader that people trust and can look up to. If you look at our results after Cyril’s 100 days, there is a lot of trust expressed in the new president, and people are willing to give him a chance.”

Antonia Squara, research manager at Ipsos, offered an explanation for the Western Cape figures, saying:

Whether this drop in DA voter confidence can be attributed to the on-going battle with Cape Town Mayor, Patricia de Lille, or whether the drought and subsequent resource management are to blame, is still uncertain.
Voters in South Africa go to the polls to elect new members of the National Assembly and provincial legislatures.