The South African government respects, and has unequivocally pledged its commitment to the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law, President Kgalema Motlanthe said.

"South Africa continues to believe that an independent, vigilant, fearless, vigorous and sensitive judiciary is the cornerstone of democracy," he said.

Motlanthe was addressing the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) summit on the implementation of South Africa's first annual programme of action in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Saturday.

The APRM seeks to strengthen the struggle to build political stability and eradicating poverty in Africa.

To ensure that "democracy is not eroded", Motlanthe said the government had abolished floor crossing in legislatures across South Africa among other things.

He also spoke on South Africa's macro-economic policies, saying they had cushioned the country from the global financial shock.

"We are confident that our policies and interventions will demonstrate the required flexibility to address this prolonged economic downturn and reduce the negative impact on our economy," Motlanthe said.

Speaking on the Competition Amendment Bill of 2008, Motlanthe said it will ensure that "we deal with the uncompetitive practices that we have witnessed where some companies were involved in price fixing on certain goods".

Poverty eradication, HIV and Aids, education and the criminal justice system were also issues Motlanthe spoke on.

He said funds spent to combat HIV and Aids and programmes put in place to combat it "indicate that South Africa is making huge strides in the fight against the pandemic".

He urged other African Union member states to "accede to the APRM and become part of this collective that seeks to strengthen the struggle to build political stability and eradicate poverty".