African National Congress chairperson Mosiua Lekota let slip yesterday that the national elections are to be held in April.

"Let us go to the elections in April".

Lekota told a crowd of an estimated 15 000 people at the Northern Cape launch of his party's election manifesto in Kimberley.

Lekota told reporters afterwards that the large number of unregistered voters were the main reason why President Thabo Mbeki had not yet announced the election date.

As many as possible of the 5 to 7-million unregistered voters must first be added to the roll before announcement of the date, Lekota said.

Legislation provides for the voters' roll to be closed as soon as the election is proclaimed.

Lekota added that Mbeki might decide after receiving a report from the Independent Electoral Commission following next weekend's round of voter registration.

Opposition parties have been strongly criticising the ANC for launching its election campaign before proclaiming the date.

This gave the ANC an unfair advantage and complicated their own planning, opposition leaders maintained.

Political parties and commentators reportedly expect the elections to be held sometime between the end of March and middle April.

A Sunday paper speculated this week that Mbeki wanted to be inaugurated on April 27 for his expected second term.

That would be exactly ten years after the country's first democratic elections in 1994. – Sapa.