Pretoria - President Kgalema Motlanthe has requested the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) to send a team of election observers to monitor the upcoming elections in South Africa.
The observers will help ensure that the elections, to be held on 22 April, are free and fair.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday that South Africa's request complied with and is line with the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections.
King Mswati III, in his capacity as the Chairperson of the SADC Organ Troika on Politics, Defence and Security is to set up the observer team.
There are 23 million potential voters registered on the IEC voters roll making it the highest recorded number of voters that have been registered since the national common voter's roll was first compiled for the elections in 1999.
Since its formation, the SADC has observed general elections in Botswana, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
