Votes are being counted after what are considered the most disputed elections in South Africa since the African National Congress (ANC) came to power 30 years ago.
Long lines snaked into the night outside polling places across the country.
An electoral official in Johannesburg told the BBC that the queues were reminiscent of the historic 1994 elections, when black people were able to vote for the first time, and which saw Nelson Mandela become president.
Many thousands of people were still waiting to vote when the polls officially closed at 9pm local time (7pm GMT), but the electoral commission said everyone would be allowed to vote.
The first results were announced, in just over 10% of electoral districts.
The ANC leads with 42%, followed by the DA with 26% and the EFF with 8%, while former president Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK Party) is at just under 8%.
Final results are expected over the weekend.
Opinion polls suggest the ANC could lose its majority in parliament for the first time in 30 years, forcing it to form a coalition.
The ANC lost support due to outrage over high levels of corruption, crime and unemployment.
Sifiso Buthelezi, who voted in Johannesburg’s Joubert Park – South Africa’s biggest polling station – told the BBC: “Freedom is great, but we need to fight corruption.”
Change has been a recurring feeling, especially among young voters.
Ayanda Hlekwane, a member of South Africa’s “born free” generation, meaning she was born after 1994, said that despite having three degrees, she still has no job.
“I’m working on my PhD proposal so I can go back to school if I don’t get a job,” he told the BBC in Durban.
But Hlekwane said he was optimistic that things could change.
A record 70 parties and 11 independents competed, with South Africans voting for a new parliament and nine provincial legislatures.
Analysts say this shows that many people are disillusioned with the ANC.
“We are entering the next phase of our democracy and it will be a huge transition,” political analyst Richard Calland told the BBC.
“Either we will become a more competitive and mature democracy, or our politics will become more fractured.”
The main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), signed a pact with 10 other parties, agreeing to form a coalition government if they win enough votes to dislodge the ANC from power.
But this is highly unlikely, with the ANC expected to remain the largest party, putting it in pole position to lead a coalition if its support drops below 50%.
It obtained 57.5% of the vote in the last elections, compared to 21% for the DA.
South Africans do not vote directly for a president. Instead, they vote for the members of parliament who will elect the president.
Therefore, current President Cyril Ramaphosa is likely to remain in power.
Former President Jacob Zuma caused a huge shock when he announced in December that he was leaving the ANC to campaign for a new party, uMkhonto weSizwe (MK), which translates as Spear of the Nation.
Although he was barred from running for parliament due to a contempt of court conviction, his name still appeared on the ballot paper as MK leader.
MK is expected to perform especially well in Zuma’s home province of KwaZulu-Natal, where tensions have been high, with some incidents of violence reported during the campaign.
Police and army have been deployed to polling stations across the country to ensure that voting takes place peacefully and that ballot papers are not stolen.
More than 27 million people were registered to vote, 55% of whom were women, according to statistics released by the electoral commission.
In terms of age group, voter registration was highest among those aged between 30 and 39. They represent almost seven million of the 26.7 million voters.
Young people can influence this election in their favor.
Artist Njabulo Hlophe, 28, said young people in South Africa tend to be marginalized, but, “this is both our country and our parents…they are leaving us with us, so someone who really cares about young people is someone I’m really looking out for.”
Support for the ANC is expected to be higher among the older generation.
An 89-year-old woman, Elayne Dykman, told the BBC in Durban that she hopes young people in South Africa do not take their vote for granted.
Additional reporting by Anne Soy in Durban and Barbara Plett Usher in Soweto
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