last updated: Saturday 25 April 2009, 13:02pm

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Brown congratulates Zuma on win

Gordon Brown has called Jacob Zuma to congratulate him on victory in South Africa's general election.

Downing Street said the brief call was an indication of the the Prime Minister's desire to work closely with the new South African administration.

Final results from Wednesday's election are not expected until Saturday, but early results from nearly 14.5 million ballots gave Mr Zuma's African National Congress (ANC) an unassailable lead with 67 per cent of the national vote.

Senior ANC officials are claiming a victory that is set to make Mr Zuma the country's fourth president since the end of apartheid.

Mr Zuma told a crowd of cheering supporters: 'This party is an elephant. You cannot actually topple an elephant.'

The ANC had 66.9 per cent, according to the latest results, hovering around the two-thirds majority that allows it to change the constitution - a scenario that has unnerved markets, even though the party has said it will not abuse the right.

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