South Africa is heading for a general election in late May, with some polls suggesting the governing African National Congress (ANC) could get less than 50% of the vote for the first time in 30 years.

Mounting criticism of the party that led the fight against apartheid under the late Nelson Mandela has chipped away at its support, raising the possibility of a coalition government.

When is South Africa's election?

On 29 May, nearly 28 million South African registered voters have the chance to elect representatives to the national and provincial parliaments.

It will be the country's seventh democratic general election.

They have taken place every five years since 1994, when white-minority rule ended and the ANC came to power.

What is at stake for the ANC and what are its policies?

The ANC, now led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, is under growing pressure.

Stubbornly high unemployment, which hit 32% last year, persistent economic inequalities, corruption allegations and frequent power cuts have reduced its popularity.

High levels of violent crime - on average 130 rapes and 80 murders a day in the last three months of 2023 - have also dented confidence in the authorities.

But the ANC says it is working to fix these problems.

And it is urging people not to throw away gains made since the end of apartheid. The party says poverty levels have fallen, a greater proportion of South Africans live in decent homes and access to healthcare has improved.

The ANC has promised to create millions more jobs over the next five years, to boost investment, support the private sector and end corruption.

What are the DA and EFF opposition parties offering?

The main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) says the "country is in crisis".

It wants to liberalise the economy, including a move towards greater privatisation.

It has pledged to create two million new jobs, end power cuts and "halve the rate of violent crime".