By Hassan Isilow
JOHANNESBURG
South African started voting on Wednesday to elect National Assembly and nine provincial parliaments.
"Our people died so we can vote," 59-year-old Mama Maria told Anadolu Agency outside a polling station in Alexandra township near Johannesburg.
"I am here to honor our heroes," she said, as the voting station opened 15 minutes late to schedule.
This is South Africa's 5th democratic elections since the end of the apartheid regime in 1994 when blacks were first allowed to cast their ballots.
The election also comes nearly five months after the death of South Africa's anti-apartheid hero and first black president Nelson Mandela.
More than 25 million South Africans are eligible to vote in Wednesday's poll to elect 400 National Assembly members and the members of nine provincial parliaments.
Hundreds of people had queued outside a primary school in Alexandra hours before the vote, with queues stretching up to 200 meters.
"I have been queuing here since 5am because I want to cast my vote and make a mark in my country’s history," Obed Letsaolo, 47, told AA.
Long queues were also reported in many parts of the country for what is believed to be the country’s most contested election since 1994.
The race will likely be dominated by the ruling African National Congress (ANC), the Democratic Alliance (DA), the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), the Congress of the People (COPE) and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).
The new National Assembly will elect a new president.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
