Who are the main figures in South Africa's election?

South Africa's 27 million registered voters go to the polls for general elections on May 29, in what is expected to be the closest vote in three decades of democracy.

More than 50 parties are vying to win seats in parliament, which then appoints the president.

Here are the leaders of the main parties in the race:

Cyril Ramaphosa

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Once described by Nelson Mandela as one of the most gifted leaders of his generation, President Cyril Ramaphosa played a leading role in the negotiations that ended apartheid.

Having missed out on becoming Mandela's successor, he left politics for business, only to come back as a multimillionaire.

The affable 71-year-old promised a new dawn for South Africa, after taking the reins of the African National Congress (ANC) and the nation from the scandal-prone Jacob Zuma in 2018.

Critics say he has disappointed. Under his watch unemployment has reached an almost record high, pushing the ANC towards what is expected to be its worst election result ever.

Accusations that he tried to cover up the theft of a huge haul of cash hidden under sofa cushions at his farmhouse has tainted his reputation. He is attacked on the left for being too business-friendly and on the right for his perceived indecisiveness.

Jacob Zuma

A colourful and charismatic figure given to singing and dancing on stage, Jacob Zuma was the feared head of intelligence of the then-outlawed ANC during apartheid.

Elected president in 2009, he led the country until he was forced from office under a slew of graft allegations in 2018.

Long bitter about his ousting, he fell out with the ANC and is now fronting uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK), a new opposition party.

Despite a litany of legal woes, the 82-year-old still enjoys fervent popular support, particularly in the battleground of KwaZulu-Natal -- his home province.

His jailing for contempt of court in July 2021 triggered unrest that left more than 350 dead. Because of that conviction Zuma is ineligible for parliament -- but he remains the influential head of his party.

John Steenhuisen

A career politician, John Steenhuisen rose through the ranks of the liberal Democratic Alliance (DA), the leading opposition party. He was appointed leader in 2020.

A Durban native, in 1999 he became one of the youngest councillors in his home city's history at the age of 22.

At 48, he is angling for the country's top job. The DA leads a multi-party coalition aiming to unseat the ANC. But Steenhuisen has struggled to shed his party's white, middle-class identity and broaden its appeal.

Blunder-prone, he once said that the term "roadkill" reminded him of his ex-wife, and he recently compared new crime wardens to drunkards. These and other remarks have led to accusations of tone-deafness, sexism, classism and racism.

Julius Malema

Firebrand politician Julius Malema leads the leftist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).

Malema, 43, founded the EFF in 2013 after being thrown out of the ANC, where he served as youth leader, for fomenting divisions and bringing the party into disrepute.

Renowned for its theatrics, the party has gained prominence advocating radical reforms including land redistribution and nationalising key economic sectors to tackle deep inequalities.

Often clad in his trademark red cap, Malema is a gifted orator who lambasts capitalism and portrays himself as the defender of society's most disadvantaged.

He lives flashily in one of Johannesburg's most expensive districts, something he makes no secret of.

Others

Other notable contenders include former Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba, 64, who made a fortune selling hair products for black people before entering politics. He heads ActionSA, which is in a coalition with the DA.

The alliance also includes the Zulu nationalist Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) led by Velenkosini Hlabisa, 59, who took over from the party's controversial late leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi.

Another member of the coalition is the Afrikaner FF Plus, headed by Pieter Groenewald, 68.

Former DA boss Mmusi Maimane leads Build One South Africa, a new liberal party. Ex-journalist Songezo Zibi, 48, is in charge of Rise Mzansi, a centre-left group, and Gayton Mckenzie, 50, a robber turned motivational speaker, is the boss of the right wing, anti-immigration Patriotic Alliance.