Monday, February 2, 2009
From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Amy Witherden.
Making headlines:
Speaking at the current African Union Summit, South African President Kgalema Motlanthe told the African Peer Review Mechanism meeting that the country's government respects, and unequivocally pledges its commitment to, the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law. He emphasised the importance of an independent, vigilant, fearless, vigorous and sensitive judiciary, as the cornerstone of democracy.
Motlanthe was addressing the APRM meeting, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on the implementation of South Africa's first annual programme of action. The APRM seeks to strengthen efforts to build political stability and eradicate poverty in Africa.
Motlanthe spoke on measures that the South African government has undertaken to make sure that "democracy is not eroded".

In other news, former United Nations Secretary-General and current member of the Elders, Kofi Annan, has urged world leaders to help rebuild Zimbabwe's economy after the opposition Movement for Democratic Change agreed to join a government with Robert Mugabe.
Annan said that the move is an important step towards ending the political impasse in Zimbabwe. He added that it is not, however, a guarantee that Zimbabwe's crisis is over.
Fellow Elders member and former US President Jimmy Carter, said that while Zimbabwe's power-sharing agreement is not perfect, it should be supported by the international community.
The US has, however, voiced scepticism over the deal, saying that implementation is key and that aid would come only when a representative government is in place.
The new government is set to be formed by February 11.

Also in Africa, leaders have once again delayed concrete moves towards creating a United States of Africa, despite a long campaign by Libya's Muamar Gaddafi.
Gaddafi and other supporters, such as Senegal's President Abdoulaye Wade, have been calling for an accelerated process towards a union government. They say it is the only way to meet the challenges of globalisation, fighting poverty and resolving conflicts without Western interference.
These leaders are, however, opposed by other nations, headed by South Africa, which see the idea as a distant and impractical prospect.
Tanzanian President and current African Union chairperson, Jakaya Kikwete, said that the summit had agreed only to change the name of the currentAfrican Union Commission into an "authority", rejecting a proposal to transform it immediately into a union government, which, he said, would infringe the sovereignty of the AU's 53 States.
AU Commission chairperson Jean Ping recently said that views on the pace of integration vary from nine to 35 years, but that the continent needs to speak with a united voice to be heard in international negotiations on trade and other issues such as climate change.

Also making headlines:
The Democratic Alliance criticises alleged ANC interference in the appointment of the new South African Police intelligence head.
The World Bank appeals for African aid as the continent's growth slows.
And, the push for a new climate deal intensifies as new US President Barack Obama adds to environmental optimism.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today. For more on these and other stories, visit polity.org.za.