A landmark deal to bring peace and democracy to the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo is to be signed at the Sun City resort in the North West on Wednesday.

The agreement provides for the setting up of a two-year transitional government to guide the DRC to its first democratic elections in 40 years.

South African President Thabo Mbeki and several other African leaders are expected to witness the signing. The ceremony will signal the end of what has been dubbed the Inter-Congolese Dialogue, a marathon process of peace talks that began 14 months ago.

All sides in four-year-old DRC war endorsed the accord on an interim authority on Monday, when the final session of the dialogue got underway. The more than 350 delegates also formally adopted a constitution for the transitional government.

The signing will reportedly be televised live to viewers in the DRC, where the civil war is estimated to have claimed more than two million lives.

The DRC government, rebel groups, opposition parties, and civil society representatives reached agreement on a power-sharing transitional government in December last year.

On March 6 this year, they approved a draft constitution and a memorandum on military and security arrangements during the transition period.

DRC president Joseph Kabila will lead the transitional government, assisted by four vice-presidents -- one each from the present government, the two rebel groups and the unarmed opposition parties.

Each vice-president will oversee a cluster of ministries. The ministers will be drawn from the current government, rebels, unarmed political parties, and civil society.

War erupted in the DRC in August 1998 when Congolese rebels took up arms to oust then-president Laurent Kabila, Joseph's father.

They were supported by troops from neighbouring Rwanda and Uganda, which accused Kabila of backing insurgents threatening their security.

Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia sent troops to support Kabila's regime. Most foreign troops have since pulled out of the DRC - Sapa