New explosion in South Africa injures two

An explosion rocked a Buddhisttemple in a small South African town today, injuring two people, after a series of bomb blasts …

An explosion rocked a Buddhisttemple in a small South African town today, injuring two people, after a series of bomb blasts in the Johannesburg township of Soweto killed one woman, damaged a mosque and cut railway lines, police said.

South African President Thabo Mbekisaid today that bomb blasts were carried out by people "seeking tointroduce a terrorist campaign in this country".

Mr Mbeki said the perpetrators of the blast, which also damaged amosque and cut railway lines, would fail in their quest to destroySouth Africa's unity, the SAPA news agency reported.

He was speaking in Cape Town at a press conference with visitingGreek President Costis Stephanopoulos.

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Police spokeswoman Ms Gerda Tosen said the explosion at the templein Bronkhorstspruit, 80 kilometres (50 miles) northeast ofJohannesburg, occurred at around 10.45 a.m. (local time). The victimssustained only minor injuries, she said.

Police Commissioner Ms Jackie Selebi said two white men had beenseen acting suspiciously in Soweto, a predominantly black township,shortly before the explosions during the night there, and said amajor rightwing organisation was suspected of being behind them.

Meanwhile, nine people werekilled and around 10 injured today when a bus carrying Britishand Canadian tourists crashed near Piet Retief in eastern SouthAfrica, police said.

AFP