South Africa to hold general election on 29 May

South Africa will hold national and provincial elections on 29 May, coinciding with the celebration of its 30 years of freedom and democracy, the presidency has said.

It said President Cyril Ramaphosa had consulted with the electoral commission regarding the date.

The president has further convened a meeting with all provincial premiers and the commission to discuss the state of readiness of the elections.

Voters will be electing a new national assembly as well as the provincial legislature in each of the country's nine provinces.

Parties are allocated seats in the 400-seat parliament based on the percentage of votes they receive in the election and MPs then elect the president.

Mr Ramaphosa is seeking a second term as president.

His African National Congress party faces tough competition in the elections, with opinion polls suggesting the party could lose its outright majority to fall below 50%, for the first time in South Africa's 30 years of democracy.

South Africa held its first universal democratic elections in 1994 following the end of the racially oppressive apartheid system, with Nelson Mandela elected as the president.