The Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, the Most Revd Njongonkulu Ndungane, has announced that he is planning to hold a major summit meeting on the eradication of poverty in the first part of next year.

Announcing this at the launch of a Poverty Eradication Reference Group in Cape Town, Archbishop Ndungane said the summit's main objective will be to put in place practical and sustainable strategies for the eradication of poverty in southern Africa during the decade 1997 to 2006.

The Archbishop was one of several speakers at the launch, including government, NGO and trade union representatives, as well as speakers from the United Nations Development Programme.

Archbishop Ndungane said that since his enthronement in September last year, when he first issued the clarion call to focus on poverty, he had had occasion to return again and again to the issue, and it had become an urgent priority for many.

He had also given his support to the international campaign to lobby for the cancellation of debt of developing countries, an effort that had gained momentum through the Jubilee 2000 campaign.