Pretoria: The African National Congress, led by union leader-turned-business magnate Cyril Ramaphosa, has retained a slim majority of seats in South Africa's Parliament, giving Ramaphosa a weak mandate for a full five-year term as president.

The election, 25 years after Nelson Mandela led South Africa out of apartheid and into democracy for all its citizens, was seen as a referendum on the ANC. The previous president, Jacob Zuma, became embroiled in numerous corruption scandals while the economy lagged and unemployment and inequality deepened, and resigned in February 2018.

In Wednesday's vote, the ANC continued its steady slide, falling below 60 per cent in a general election for the first time in its history. Voter turnout was also the lowest in general election history. But with few upsets in regional elections, the result was mostly status quo.

"Our people have spoken - and they have done so clearly and emphatically," Ramaphosa said during a brief acceptance speech. "They have voted for a united South Africa in which all may realise their potential. They have voted for a more equal society, free from poverty, hunger and want. They have voted for a country at peace with itself and the world."