Several pensioners sat expectantly at their retirement home to cast their special votes, avoiding the lengthy lines predicted on Wednesday.
The special voting method is intended for registered voters who are unable to go to a polling place due to physical limitations such as disability, pregnancy, or elderly age.
Staff from the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) also visited the elderly at home to help them exercise their right to vote and explain the procedure.
South Africa’s election will reveal how weary the country has become of the ruling African National Congress party, which has been in power since the end of apartheid, a system of white minority control 30 years ago.
The major election day is Wednesday, when people will vote in all nine provinces.
It will determine the makeup of the national and provincial legislatures.
Results are expected within a few days.
Nearly 28 million people, out of a total population of 62 million, have registered to vote in this, the country’s sixth fully democratic general election since apartheid ended.