Thabo's First Female President Hopes Dashed
That may be a misleading headline, so call me an IOL.co.za journalist! There has been much conjecture that Thabo Mbeki wants his successor to be Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who would become the first African female president, but that mantle has been taken today by Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, who was sworn in today as president of Liberia. Famous for the antics of previous leader Charles Taylor, Liberia was supported in their acceptance of the new female president by the attendance of none other than Laura Bush and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

For her part, Johnson-Sirleaf stated that her priorities were "stamping out corruption, getting electricity in the capital and assuring a future for 100,000 ex-combatants who laid down arms last year, many of whom are prowling the streets, unemployed."