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JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - There are signs South Africa is recovering from the worst effects of the global economic crisis, but the revival will likely be slow and job-creation will lag, President Jacob Zuma said on Saturday.

Zuma was addressing tens of thousands of supporters gathered in Kimberly, about 380 km (236 miles) south west of Johannesburg for the 98th anniversary of the ANC party's creation.

"There are some indications that we may be recovering from the worst of the (global) crisis but this recovery may be slow and perhaps even temporary," he said in a speech broadcast on

SABC.

Zuma sought, however, to lessen the expectations of his supporters that new jobs will created soon.

"It should also be expected that the creation of new jobs on a massive scale will lag behind the economic recovery," he said.

A survey conducted by Ipsos Markinor between October and November 2009 showed the ANC had consolidated its support after narrowly failing to achieve a two-third majority in last year's election, with support of 71 percent of eligible voters.

The party drew most of its support from the ranks of the unemployed with more than two-thirds (67 percent) of their supporters jobless.