South African residents with disabilities, elderly persons and others on Monday cast their special ballots, avoiding the long queues expected on Wednesday.
The special voting process is for registered voters who are unable to travel to a voting station because of physical challenges.
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) staff also visited the elderly at their homes to assist them with exercising their right to vote and explained the process to them.
South Africa’s election will determine how weary the country has become of the ruling African National Congress party, which has been in power since the end of the apartheid system of white minority rule 30 years ago.
The main election day is Wednesday and people will vote in all nine provinces. Wednesday’s election will decide the makeup of both the national and provincial legislatures.
Results are expected within days.
Nearly 28 million of the population of 62 million are registered to vote in what is only the country’s seventh fully democratic national election since apartheid was dismantled.
