The number of votes counted crossed the halfway mark on Friday morning.

According to results released at the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) centre in Pretoria, 13 332 959 votes were counted by 10:30, more than half of the 23 181997 registered voters.

While the IEC had placed voter turnout at 77%, it was still unclear how many had turned up at the polls to make their mark.

The African National Congress (ANC) remained in the top spot nationally with 8 906 722 votes (67,09%). The Democratic Alliance (DA), poised to remain the official opposition, was still second with 2 065 345 votes (15,56%).

Newcomer the Congress of the People (Cope) was a distant third with 1 015 258 votes (7,65%).

The Inkatha Freedom Party was fourth with 548 764 votes (4,13%), followed by the Independent Democrats with 120 942 votes (0,91%).

The ANC had clinched the Eastern Cape, the only province where all the votes had been counted.

It also remained in top spot in all other provinces, except the
Western Cape, which its election machinery had worked hard to regain after bruising by-election results at the end of 2008.

The DA was currently leading the province with 594 247 of the
1 231 522 votes (48%) counted thus far.

The ANC was in second place with 393 690 votes (32%) and
Cope third with 109 347 votes (8,97%).

Mpumalanga was the ANC's strongest province, boasting 1 122 895 votes (85,68%), followed by Limpopo, where it thus far had
1 024 799 votes (84,50%).

Meanwhile at the IEC centre the on-site SABC studio was being dismantled while politicians arrived to track the performance of their parties.

Counting was expected to be concluded by midday.