Preparations for South Sudan's independence referendum are "absolutely complete" said the commission organising the landmark vote which is due to open at the weekend.

"Preparations are absolutely complete - the ballots arrived at all of the centres all over the south," commission spokesman George Mater Benjamin said.

Hundreds of dancing south Sudanese took to the streets of their capital on Friday to celebrate what they called the "final march to freedom."

A marching band led the parade, wearing T-shirts showing a pair of chained hands snapping their bondage, and emblazoned with the slogan: "We are going."

GADO, our cartoonist this week, has his own way of seeing the big event. As a special feature, watch below how he drew this particular cartoon: