Top news items in major S. African media outlets

The following are highlights of South African major news outlets on Thursday.

-- Most stock exchanges trading ahead of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange's (JSE's) opening on Thursday morning were red.

The rand strengthened along with most emerging market currencies as the dollar weakened after the US central bank held interest rates steady on Wednesday night. The US Federal Reserve indicated it was in no hurry to raise interest rates this year. (Business Day)

-- People's "feelings of closeness" to the African National Congress (ANC) have slowly dwindled over a seven-year period, according to a recent study.

The South African Social Attitudes Survey showed that since 2008, the number of ANC supporters who said they felt either not close or not at all close to the party increased from 14 percent in 2008 to 22 percent in 2015. (News24)

-- The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has officially opened its National Results Operations Centre in Pretoria. The centre will be the focal point for monitoring election results and help promote transparency for the elections.

The IEC is calling it a historical contest. There are 204 political parties, 855 independent candidates and 26.3 million registered voters. (South African Broadcasting Corporation). Endit