Good week for Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and bad week for Kgomotso Phahlane
Former Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf won the coveted Mo Ibrahim prize for African leadership — a nice nest egg of US$5m paid out over 10 years and then $200,000/year for the rest of the winner’s life. It is only the fifth time the prize has been awarded since its launch in 2006. Sirleaf, Africa’s first woman head of state, was succeeded by George Weah last month. She took office 12 years ago, at a time when Liberia had been destroyed by civil war, and laid the foundation for reconciliation and nation-building. Former top cop Kgomotso Phahlane found himself in the dock on charges of fraud and corruption, together with his wife, Brigadier Beauty Phahlane, and used-car salesman Durand Snyman. The charges against the former police commissioner stem from kickbacks he allegedly received for the awarding of tenders while he was head of the police forensics division. On top of that the lieutenant-general and his co-accused had to cough up R10,000 bail each in the Pretoria special...
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