South Africans cast their votes

With more than 27 million people on the voters' roll and nearly a million of those expected to cast their ballots for the first time - South Africa's seventh democratic election is officially underway. Across the country, 22 thousand polling stations are expected to have opened their doors to queues of people waiting to make their mark. It's taken months of preparations and challenges in some areas , but the IEC is confident every measure has been put in place to ensure a smooth election. More than 70 political parties and 11 independent candidates are set to contest the polls. Newzroom Afrika is live across all nine provinces , with our reporters bringing you rolling coverage of this hotly contested and much anticipated election.

Tune into Newzroom Afrika DStv channel 405 for more.