  Wide-Area Linear Optical Polarimeter (WALOP)-South is the first wide-field
and survey-capacity polarimeter in the optical wavelengths. On schedule for
commissioning in 2024, it will be mounted on the 1 m SAAO telescope in
Sutherland Observatory, South Africa to undertake the PASIPHAE sky survey.
PASIPHAE program will create the first polarimetric sky map in the optical
wavelengths, spanning more than 2000 square degrees of the southern Galactic
region. The innovative design of WALOP-South will enable it to measure the
linear polarization (Stokes parameters $q$ and $u$), in a single exposure, of
all sources in a field of view (FoV) of $35\times35$ arcminutes-squared in the
SDSS-r broadband and narrowband filters between 500-750 nm with 0.1 %
polarization accuracy.
  The unique goals of the instrument place very stringent systems engineering
goals, including on the performance of the optical, polarimetric,
optomechanical, and electronic subsystems. All the subsystems have been
designed carefully to meet the overall instrument performance goals.
  As of May 2024, all the instrument optical and mechanical subsystems have
been assembled and are currently getting tested and integrated. The complete
testing and characterization of the instrument in the lab is expected to be
completed by August 2024.
  In this paper, we will present (a) the design and development of the entire
instrument and its major subsystems, focusing on the opto-mechanical design
which has not been reported before, and (b) assembly and integration of the
instrument in the lab and early results from lab characterization of the
instrument.
