DEMOCRACY SUMMIT AFRICA’S first high-level summit on good governance ended on Saturday in Abbis Ababa, with a pledge by participants to “to pursue collaborative programmes” for the transparent management of public affairs. The forum, sponsored by the UN and the OAU, discused issues such as transparency, accountability, the rule of law and “free and responsible media and press”.
Delegates also discussed the tendency of multi-party democracies in Africa to exacerbate ethnic conflicts. South Africa was represented by Constitutional Affairs Minister Valli Moosa, who delivered a paper arguing that “good governance is dependent on a vibrant civil society”.
UN SLAMS FREETOWN COUP THE UN security council agreed on Friday night to support West African attempts to restore the ousted government of Sierra Leone. Ministers from four West African countries were in New York to present reports on the Sierra Leone conflict. Although the UN report makes no mention of armed intervention, it gives the go-ahead to the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), which has already outlined its alternatives as either sanctions or force.
DRUG KING ESCAPES SOUTH AFRICA’S “most wanted” drug king escaped from court during his trial on Friday, at which he was convicted of possession of R300 000 worth of Ecstacy tablets. Police accuse court orderlies of assisting Sivan Srebia in making his escape. He is believed to be in hiding in Johannesburg.