South Africans head to polling booths to caste ballot in general election

Millions of voters in South Africa are heading to polling booths on Wednesday to cast their ballot in the national and provincial elections. Incumbent president Cyril Ramaphosa, who assumed power last year, has promised to crack down on corruption in the ruling African National Congress (ANC). The party faced a steep decline in support in the last local election in 2016, when it lost some key cities to opposition parties, reported CNN. The Nelson Mandela party is also facing challenge from an insurgent radical party from the left, led by a former ANC member Julius Malema.

ANC also faces widespread apathy among voters born after apartheid, known as the born-free generation. Despite the said challenges, opinion polls have predicted that ANC will again win a majority, according to media reports. However, analysts believe that its margin of victory will fall. "I think the ANC is going to be the biggest loser in this election because the ANC is not going to enjoy the majority as it has been enjoying before," said Xolani Dube, a political analyst. South Africa has a parliamentary system of government. The national assembly consists of 400 members. The final results of the election will be announced on Saturday.

(With inputs from agencies.)