Vol 49 No 3 | ZIMBABWE Makoni's mouth 1st February 2008 Only former Finance Minister Simba Makoni can resolve the issue of whether he is going to challenge President Robert Mugabe for the Presidency in the elections now set...
Vol 49 No 3 | GUINEAMALIMOZAMBIQUE Ordinary rendition 1st February 2008 A diplomatic storm is brewing as Mozambican police crack down on West Africans they accuse of being illegal miners. The formal tone of a letter from the Mozambican...
Vol 49 No 3 | ANGOLA Wealthy sovereigns 1st February 2008 The establishment of an Angolan sovereign wealth fund is generating huge interest, not least because its operations and objectives have so far been shrouded in secrecy. We...
Vol 49 No 2 | ZIMBABWE Jumping ship 16th January 2008 Time is running out for the ZANU-PF defectors to show their hand and challenge Mugabe ahead of the elections Plots abound ahead of Zimbabwe's election season. The leading plotter is President Robert Gabriel Mugabe, who is determined to win by pressing ahead regardless of the breakdown...
Vol 49 No 2 | SOUTH AFRICA The party is not yet split 16th January 2008 The infighting is bitter and the allegations foul, as the ANC's allies try to capture the party The governing African National Congress is preparing for all-out war between President Thabo Mbeki – and his allies in government and Jacob Zuma, the ANC's newly elected...
Vol 49 No 2 | SOUTH AFRICA Zuma's people on top 16th January 2008 The African National Congress conference in December elected six pro-Jacob Zuma activists into the top leadership positions and gave them control of the National Executive Committee. The Congress...
Vol 49 No 2 | ZIMBABWEBRITAIN Accounting problems 16th January 2008 Investigations into the relations between Zimbabwean ministers and Britain’s Barclays Bank may reopen following the admission by several ruling party politicians that they operate accounts with the bank...
Vol 49 No 2 | SOUTH AFRICAFRANCE Taxing times 16th January 2008 Two politicians – South Africa’s highly effective Finance Minister Trevor Manuel and France’s forthright Cooperation Minister Jean-Marie Bockel – are adding to the pressure on international institutions to...
Vol 48 No 25 | SOUTH AFRICA 'Unstoppable tsunami' 14th December 2007 Jacob Zuma is set to sweep the ANC presidency in a wave of protest against incumbent Thabo Mbeki Jacob Zuma's campaign for the presidency of the African National Congress is called the 'unstoppable tsunami'. A poll of party branches gives him the support of 61% of...
Vol 48 No 25 | ZAMBIA Copper-clad deals 14th December 2007 Under opposition pressure, the government seeks better terms from the latest set of investors in its copper mines The world price of copper has taken a tumble. Despite the talk of a never-ending Chinese-driven boom, the price of the metal on the London Metal Exchange has...