South Africans who are living abroad have begun casting their votes in the national elections.
An estimated 29,334 South Africans successfully applied to vote at South African missions abroad to vote, according to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC).
The IEC also announced that voting hours have been extended to 07h00-23h30 at the South African mission in London.
The IEC says London is the foreign mission with the highest number of registered voters at 9,084, followed by Dubai (1,542) and The Hague (1,355).
South Africans who are registered voters and either live abroad or will be abroad on election day in South Africa and have a valid South African ID as well as a valid South African passport are eligible to vote abroad.
The African National Congress (ANC) has been power since the end of apartheid in 1994. However, it recorded its worst electoral performance in local elections in 2016.
During the last national elections in 2014, the ANC won 62 percent of the vote. The Democratic Alliance (DA) came in second with 22 percent while the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) garnered six percent.
South Africans living locally are scheduled to cast their votes on May 8.
