Huge turnout in South Africa poll

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Former South African President Nelson Mandela casts his vote

A huge turnout in South Africa's general election has left officials struggling with long queues at polling stations and too few ballot papers.

Voting was extended in some areas amid fears ballot papers were running out in places and some ballot boxes were full.

But election officials said anyone in line as polls closed would get to vote.

The election is expected to be the most competitive since the end of apartheid in 1994. The ruling ANC - led by Jacob Zuma - is expected to win.

But it could lose its two-thirds majority in parliament which allows it to change the constitution.

Among its rivals is a new party - Congress of the People (Cope) - formed last year by a group which split from the ANC after ex-President Thabo Mbeki was replaced as leader.

Voting extended

Turnout is estimated to have been more than 80%, reports say.

In pictures: South Africa votes Your pictures: At the polls

Some 20,000 polling stations were being used for more than 23 million registered voters.

Polls were due to close at 2100 local time (1900 GMT), but voting was extended in some areas where people had queued for many hours.

The BBC's Andrew Walker at the electoral commission's headquarters in Pretoria reported that officials there said if voters were in a queue at 2100, then they would be able to vote, no matter how long it took.

The governing ANC and the official opposition, the Democratic Alliance, had both asked for an extension of voting because of polling problems.

Counting will begin as soon as polling stations around the country close.

Response 'overwhelming'

"The response is absolutely overwhelming all over the country," said Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) chairwoman Brigalia Bam earlier in the day.

But by late afternoon, reports emerged that voting stations in Gauteng, the Free State and Mpumalanga were running out of ballot papers.

Hear what some voters waiting to cast their ballots think In pictures

Ms Bam said there were "very, very long queues" in Gauteng.

"So long that in some areas they ran short of ballot papers... (extra) papers have been sent," she said.

BBC correspondents around the country reported lively groups of voters braving the wintry weather.

The BBC's Mohammed Allie in Cape Town said a few polling stations had run out of ballot papers, and some parties were concerned that voters would leave because of long queues.

In Port Elizabeth, the BBC's Josephine Hazeley said voters were angry at the long queues and that the presiding officer had promised voting time would be extended.

Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Helen Zille has threatened to take the IEC to court over the shortage of ballot papers, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) reported.

She said 24 voting stations had run out of ballot papers in parts of Gauteng and Cape Town - areas where her party has a strong following, according to the SABC.

Main figures

By midday, most of the country's main political figures had voted.

Mr Mandela had already pledged his support to the ANC at a rally last week, but Mr Mbeki was widely rumoured to be considering backing Cope.

POLL IN NUMBERS 23m registered voters 19,700 polling stations 9,130 candidates - 3,511 female 2,000 soldiers deployed 4,000 local observers, 153 from abroad Special report: South Africa election Q&A: General elections Zuma 'the victim' to win the day Send us your comments

After casting his vote in Johannesburg, Mr Mbeki did not confirm the speculation, saying: "People should vote for who they want, not out of fear, but for the party they believe will deliver the South Africa they want."

Voting in his home state of KwaZulu-Natal, Mr Zuma told cheering supporters: "When I grew up, I did not know that this day would come.

"This makes me feel great and it's a feeling far different from the one that we had under the apartheid government."

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who has described Mr Zuma as an unfit president, cast his vote in Cape Town.

"Because of the role the ANC has played in the struggle, and in the first years of our freedom, most people would have tended to vote ANC," he said.

"Now, it is no longer quite so straightforward. People are asking questions, which is a good thing, I mean, that is what a democracy is."

South Africa's last white president, FW de Klerk, cast his vote in Cape Town and told reporters he believed the country's democracy would be healthier because of the split in the ANC.

"I think our (party political) situation becomes more competitive," he said.

Charges of corruption against Mr Zuma were dropped just two weeks before the poll, after state prosecutors said there had been political interference in the case.

'Voting for change'

Many of the new voters are young people who have little memory of the struggle to end white minority rule, which brought the ANC to power.

One first-time voter, Bhekisa, was among the first at the polling station in Johannesburg City Hall.

"It's so cold today, you can see it's freezing," he said. "But I am excited because I am here."

Zille responds to charges of running a negative campaign:

Analysts say Cope's emergence energised the early stages of the election campaign, but the party's popularity seems to have diminished in recent weeks.

Cope fielded a relatively unknown presidential candidate, former Bishop Mvume Dandala, who analysts say has struggled to make an impact.

Some say the real battle is between Cope and the Democratic Alliance - for second place.

Neither party has ruled out entering into a coalition after the election.

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