ANC blasts bomb scares

JOHANNESBURG -- The bomb scares at the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Durban were the work of unscrupulous elements trying to discredit South Africa and divert the world's attention from the movement's agenda, the African National Congress said yesterday.

"These are part of an ongoing campaign to create a negative image of our country at home and abroad," the ANC said in a statement.

The Durban police bomb squad blew up two parcels in controlled explosions in central Durban yesterday afternoon, and searched another building after a hoax bomb scare.

Given the continuing inequality between developed and developing countries, the NAM was still a relevant force, the ANC said.