President Mbeki promises to fight poverty

SOUTH AFRICAN President Thabo Mbeki, celebrating a landslide election victory for his African National Congress (ANC), vowed yesterday to keep his promise to fight poverty in Africa's richest nation.

The former liberation movement was assured a two-thirds majority in parliament, winning 69% of Wednesday's vote with more than 95% of ballots counted. In KwaZulu-Natal, where the ANC faced a strong challenge from the Zulu-dominated Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), the race looked close. But in all nine provinces the ANC scored ahead of its rivals.

Analysts said the vote showed trust in Mbeki's promise to extend the fruits of Africa's powerhouse economy to the black majority, which, 10 years after the end of white rule, remains plagued by unemployment, AIDS and crime.