Polls close and South Africa counts votes in election framed as its most important since apartheid

South Africans voted Wednesday at schools, community centres, and in large white tents set up in open fields in an election seen as their country's most important since apartheid ended 30 years ago.

South Africans voted Wednesday at schools, community centres, and in large white tents set up in open fields in an election seen as their country's most important since apartheid ended 30 years ago. It could put the young democracy into unknown territory.

At stake is the three-decade dominance of the African National Congress party, which led South Africa out of apartheid's brutal white minority rule and to democracy in 1994. It is now the target of a new generation of discontent in a country of 62 million people -- half of whom are estimated to be living in poverty.

After casting his vote, President Cyril Ramaphosa said that he had no doubt his ANC would win again with "a firm majority."

The main opposition leader, John Steenhuisen, countered: "For the first time in 30 years, there is now a path to victory for the opposition."

The election was held on one day and polls closed after 14 hours of voting at more than 23,000 stations across South Africa's nine provinces. Counting will start but final results are not expected for days. The independent electoral commission that runs the election said they would be announced by Sunday.

The ANC has seen its support slide in previous elections as Africa's most advanced economy faces some of the world's deepest socioeconomic problems. It has one of the worst unemployment rates at 32 per cent and the lingering inequality, with poverty disproportionately affecting the Black majority, now threatens to unseat the party that promised to end it by bringing down apartheid under the slogan of a better life for all.

"Our main issue here in our community is the lack of jobs," said Samuel Ratshalingwa, who was near the front of the line at the same school in the Johannesburg township of Soweto where Ramaphosa voted. He came out well before polls opened at 7 a.m. on a chilly winter morning.