WINDHOEK- Yesterday 25.39 million people in South Africa went to the polls in the first national election since the death of the country’s first democratically elected president Nelson Mandela.

Yesterday’s vote was also the first time the country’s ‘born frees’ cast their votes.

Figures from the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa indicate that 22 percent or 427 655 of South Africa’s almost two million 18- to 19-year-olds had registered to vote.

The born frees – those born after South Africa’s attaining democracy in 1994 – make up 6 percent of South Africa’s total voting population of 31.4 million.

A total of 29 parties contested this year’s general elections. Voting ended last night at 21h00 South African time.

SADC Election Observer Mission’s [SEOM] Media Committee Chairperson for the South African 2014 National and Provincial Elections, Jacky Hindjou-Mafwila, told New Era from South Africa on Tuesday that 188 members of the SEOM have been divided into 33 teams and deployed across all nine provinces in South Africa.

“As the SEOM we managed to meet some political parties such as the African National Congress, Democratic Alliance, Economic Freedom Fighters, Aganga SA and the Congress of People to engage and exchange views on the preparedness for this elections. We also met other observer missions such as those from the Commonwealth and the African Union,” stated Hindjou-Mafwila.

She said 22 263 polling stations have been put up and that the South African police vowed to ensure safety at the polling stations by intensifying their presence.

“Normally the polling stations only have one police officer, but the police will this time around have about six law enforcers at those polling stations located in the areas which are declared hot spots,” she said.

By Mathias Haufiku