Vol 49 No 18 | ANGOLA Campaign coffers 5th September 2008 The election funds of the ruling Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola dwarf those of its rivals. Some say the campaign has been so peaceful partly because the...
Vol 49 No 18 | ANGOLA Muzzling the media 5th September 2008 A blot on the generally calm parliamentary election campaign was the six-month ban on Rádio Despertar, the voice of the main opposition party, the União para a Independência...
Vol 49 No 18 | ZIMBABWE Mnangagwa's second coming 5th September 2008 The man whose closeness to Mugabe earned him the title of ‘Son of God’ is back at the helm of the ruling party As the power-sharing talks falter, the star of Emmerson Mnangagwa, Chairman of the Joint Operations Command and Rural Housing Minister, continues to rise. Whatever happens in the negotiations,...
Vol 49 No 18 | ZIMBABWE It's go-go with Gono 5th September 2008 Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Gideon Gono’s first five-year term expires in November 2008. The Movement for Democratic Change insists that his replacement take a more conventional view...
Vol 49 No 18 | ZAMBIAANALYSIS A hard act to follow 5th September 2008 The death of Zambia’s president means that, not even two years since the last polls, there will be a presidential election before the end of the year. This has revealed deep splits in the governing party and disorganisation in the opposition. At stake is Levy Mwanawasa’s legacy of economic growth, fighting corruption and speaking out on regional issues. After his death last month, President Levy Patrick Mwanawasa continued to dominate Zambian politics as his coffin toured the country for a week. The extended countrywide funeral procession...
Vol 49 No 17 | ZIMBABWE The Nogo and Gono show 22nd August 2008 As the political talks stutter, the economy continues to implode and the regime is far from having 'total control' Robert Mugabe's slogan for his victorious, opponent-free rerun of the presidential election was 'the last battle for total control'. Yet the formal economy is spiralling out of...
Vol 49 No 17 | ZIMBABWE Our mutual friend 22nd August 2008 The control freaks of the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front seem astonished that their diktats go unheard by the world's stock exchanges. Yet when it comes to their...
Vol 49 No 17 | MALAWI The rot at the top 22nd August 2008 As President Mutharika's life-and-death struggle with his opponents continues, things start to fall apart The country's political crisis is intensifying and threatening government finances, thanks to the confrontational style of President Bingu wa Mutharika and his eager lieutenants. More clashes are...
Vol 49 No 17 | ZAMBIA After Levy 22nd August 2008 Zambia faces a difficult political transition after the death of President Levy Patrick Mwanawasa on 19 August, aged 59. Contrary to expectations, he had presided over an...