JOHANNESBURG , South Africa -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- South Africans waited on election results Thursday in a ballot that the ruling African National Congress party appeared on course to win in a landslide . ANC leader Jacob Zuma is expected to be South Africa 's next president . South African media reported Thursday that the ANC had won around 65 percent of the vote with one third of ballots counted . Reports suggested the opposition Democratic Alliance could be on course to claim control of Western Cape province -- but the ANC was ahead in the country 's eight other provinces . `` This party is an elephant . You can not actually topple an elephant , '' presidential candidate Jacob Zuma told thousands of supporters at ANC headquarters in central Johannesburg , according to Reuters.com . Zuma , who danced and sang his trademark `` Bring me my machine gun '' anti-apartheid anthem , stressed the ANC was `` not yet celebrating victory . '' Final results are not expected until Saturday . All counting is done by hand in the country , which has 23 million registered voters . Members of parliament will elect the country 's president next month . The Independent Electoral Commission said the number of people voting on Wednesday created long lines and a shortage of ballot boxes and papers in some districts and voting stations . Watch as South Africa waits for a winner '' `` We thank voters for their enthusiasm and patience as they waited to exercise their democratic right to vote , '' commission Chairwoman Brigalia Bam said Wednesday . Although the ANC is widely expected to win , it remains to be seen how much ground the two main opposition parties -- the Democratic Alliance and the Congress of the People -- will gain , and whether the ANC will be able to hold onto its two-thirds parliamentary majority . The ANC has gained votes in every election since 1994 , when the country held its first democratic election . But the Congress of the People -- a breakaway faction of the ANC -- threatens the ruling party 's grip on power . Voter shares feelings about ANC and new rival '' The ANC has been dogged by allegations of corruption and has been accused of failing to deliver services to the poor . And Zuma until recently faced fraud and corruption charges . The country 's prosecuting authority dropped the charges two weeks before the elections , citing alleged political interference in the case . That decision sparked widespread outrage , with opposition parties accusing prosecutors of buckling under political pressure . Twenty-six parties vied in Wednesday 's election . They included Islamic and Christian parties , and right-wing Afrikaaner and socialist groups . Learn more about some of South Africa 's political parties More than 5,000 domestic and international observers are monitoring the election , according to the electoral commission . CNN 's Nkepile Mabuse contributed to this report .