The people of South Africa have trooped out in large numbers to vote in local elections perceived as a test for President Jacob Zuma and the ruling African National Congress (ANC).
There was heavy security presence at the polls after a number of ANC local councilors were shot dead.
The tragedy is assumed to be the outcome of a hidden crisis in the final weeks of the campaigns.
The election reveals that the ANC, who has been ruling since 1994, might lose dominance in three major cities of Pretoria, Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg.
President Zuma has had to weather the scandal, after being ordered to refund taxpayers’ money spent on his private home.
Some senior officials of the party have asked the South African President to step aside, as a result of the scandal and the weak economy.
