Opposition Assailed After Election Gains

President Thabo Mbeki lashed out at South Africa’s mainly white and mixed-race opposition party bloc after it made big gains in local elections, calling it an “unholy alliance” that is bad for the nation. Mbeki told a victory rally for the ruling African National Congress, or ANC, in Johannesburg that any headway made by the Democratic Alliance could not discredit the will of the overwhelming majority. But analysts said the outcome signaled an alarming rise in racial divisions. Nearly 9 million of 18.5 million registered voters cast ballots Tuesday. The ANC took 59%, the Democratic Alliance 23% and the Inkatha Freedom Party 9%.