Sanity had prevailed in the elections, the Election Monitoring Network said on Friday.

It congratulated South Africans for their resilience, maturity and responsibility over the entire period and particularly on polling day.

"In the midst of the phenomenal opening of political space, sanity has prevailed," Derrick Marco of the network said in a statement.

"We call on all political parties to maintain respect for one another [and] to recognise the outcome of the election results."

He said parties should use the legal mechanisms available to deal with any disputes.