Vol 53 No 15 | ZIMBABWE From no growth to low growth 19th July 2012 Turning to the US dollar was not enough: politics underlies the country’s economic problems Growth forecasts of 9.4% for this year have been halved. Thishighlights the policy limitations of abolishing the Zimbabwean dollar.It was replaced in 2009 by a range of solid...
Vol 53 No 15 | SOUTH AFRICA No bang (this time) 19th July 2012 The authorities have tried to hush up a break-in that took place at South Africa’s largest nuclear research centre, the Pelindaba facility near Pretoria, on 28 April. The...
Vol 53 No 14 | SOUTH AFRICA Zuma delays judgement day 6th July 2012 Arguments over personalities rather than ideas dominate the ANC’s policy conference in the Free State Policies were not changed nor presidents toppled when the African National Congress met last week. Yet everyone – supporters of President Jacob Zuma and of his two main...
Vol 53 No 14 | MADAGASCARANALYSIS Rajoelina slows down the train 6th July 2012 The confusion is far from over. The United Nations proposes that Madagascar hold presidential and parliamentary elections in May or June 2013 but Andry Rajoelina is holding out. The army installed him as national leader after its coup in March 2009 threw out his elected predecessor, Marc Ravalomanana. He now heads the Haute Autorité de la Transition (HAT) that was installed in November 2011, following a ‘road map’ signed the previous month by most political leaders (AC Vol 53 No 5, Who's the democrat now?). There is logic behind the timetable suggested by the UN experts who, chaired by Akinyemi Adegbola, visited the island in April-May. Time is needed to establish a credible...
Vol 53 No 14 | MADAGASCAR Politics and religion 6th July 2012 • Andry Rajoelina, 38, Chairman of the Haute autorité de la transition (HAT), is a former Mayor of Antananarivo and leads the Tanora MalaGasy Vonona (TGV) party.
Vol 53 No 14 | MADAGASCAR Foreign sanctions miss target 6th July 2012 In public, diplomats in Antananarivo talk up the chances of a settlement of the political crisis. In private, though, they confess to doubting the value of the sanctions...
Vol 53 No 14 | ANGOLA Rocks and hard men 6th July 2012 The battle of the oligarchs in London’s High Court ended on 29 June. Arkady Gaydamak and Lev Leviev fought over millions of dollars in Angolan diamond sales.
Vol 53 No 14 | SOUTH AFRICASADC Bank to bank 6th July 2012 The Southern African Development Community, anxious to free its financial operations from domination by the large, state-owned Development Bank of Southern Africa, plans to set up a rival...
Vol 5 (AAC) No 9 | SOUTH AFRICAASIA South Africa looks east 30th June 2012 Lethargy in US and European markets has pushed the ANC government to fast-track deeper ties with Asia, but not everyone is convinced that it will work European officials expressed anger in early June about the governing African National Congress’s new strategy to sideline South Africa’s traditional trading allies and forge closer ties with India...
Vol 5 (AAC) No 9 | SOUTH AFRICAASIA Partnerships, promises and failures 30th June 2012 Despite the billions of dollars in investment that President Jacob Zuma’s ‘Look East’ policy could potentially deliver, Asian investment in South Africa has already yielded many promises, few...