Thirty-five independent political parties on Friday said that the elections in South Africa were not free and fair, calling for a proper and independent investigation.

"The media in various briefings and questions already proved that this election is not free and fair -- it is irregular and not transparent," the parties said in a media statement.

They said that the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) publicly admitted that there have been irregularities and that some people have been arrested.

"With that being the case, there is a clear indication that there is due course not to continue this process without a proper and independent investigation," the parties said.

"Thirty-five political parties across the full political spectrum are part of this collective. The IEC has already labelled us as disgruntled, we in the strongest terms object to this because we represent millions of South Africans from all walks of life."

The parties said it had submitted a grievance letter on Thursday. They demanded an independent audit and a rerun of the elections.