South Africa will deploy some 2,828 military officers to provide security during the May 29 general election.
The country's President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Tuesday that the military officers will complement the national police service in maintaining law and order.
The special deployment of military officers during the election period, budgeted at 59.5 million rand ($3.3 million), will continue until June 7.
South Africa's presidency said in a statement that Ramaphosa had informed the acting speaker of the National Assembly and the chairperson of the National Council of Provinces about the military deployment.
Ruling party risks losing majority
Nearly 28 million voters will go to the ballot box on Wednesday to choose new leaders, including members of parliament, who will vote for president in two weeks' time.
For the first time in history, South Africa's ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), is staring at a possibility of failing to get at least 50% of the vote needed for it to form government by itself.
Should ANC fail to secure a majority in parliament, it might be forced to enter a coalition arrangement with other parties that have a substantial number of lawmakers.
Besides ANC, the other major political parties in South Africa are the Democratic Alliance (DA), the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the recently formed uMkhonto weSizwe (MK), led by former President Jacob Zuma, who has been barred from running in the upcoming election.
Unemployment
South Africa's National Assembly has 400 members. For a presidential candidate to win in the first round of voting, at least 201 lawmakers must vote for him.
South Africa's electoral agency cleared nearly 14,900 candidates to contest 887 seats, including provincial legislative positions.
Almost 25% of adults told pan-African research network Afrobarometer that they want a government that would create jobs.
The other issues that voters want addressed include resolving regular power cuts, bridging class inequality, tackling crime, and fighting corruption.
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