Vol 61 No 8 | ZIMBABWE Rule by rivalry 16th April 2020 The public is becoming used to the contest for supremacy between the President and his Vice-President as it turns into a war of attrition President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been locked in a love-hate relationship with the military ever since he rose to power in the military coup of November 2017. Against the...
Vol 61 No 8 | BOTSWANA State takes control 16th April 2020 Lawmakers agreed to President Mokgweetsi Masisi's plan to extend a State of Emergency (SoE) from 28 days to 6 months over the coronavirus outbreak despite complaints that the...
Vol 61 No 7 | SOUTH AFRICACOVID-19 Cyril's double crisis 2nd April 2020 Drastic measures to contain the pandemic, coupled with the Moody’s downgrade, have strengthened the President’s hand – for now The South African government has vowed to respond to the double shock of the coronavirus pandemic and a credit ratings downgrade by making overdue structural reforms to prevent...
Vol 61 No 7 | MALAWI Poll in a plague year 2nd April 2020 The re-run of the presidential election looked certain to see Mutharika fall, but all bets are off now that political rallies are banned The new presidential election mandated by the Constitutional Court in February was always going to be bad news for President Peter Mutharika, especially with the new requirement that...
Vol 61 No 7 | ZIMBABWECOVID-19 Healthcare for dollars 2nd April 2020 The first reaction of Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front high-ups to the pandemic was to blame the West, or at least to gloat at its misfortune. Defence Minister... READ FOR FREE
Vol 61 No 7 | BOTSWANACOVID-19 Relying on the neighbours 2nd April 2020 President Mokgweetsi Masisi's leadership on the coronavirus crisis got off to a bad start. On 21 March, days after telling the nation about isolating, not travelling, and all...
Vol 61 No 7 | ANGOLACOVID-19 Debt crisis deepens 2nd April 2020 Even without the coronavirus pandemic it was always doubtful that 2020 would be the year Angola would return to growth, as President João Lourenço had promised. After a...
Vol 61 No 7 | NAMIBIACOVID-19 Virus rattles SWAPO 2nd April 2020 Although the coronavirus pandemic has yet to affect Namibia seriously – as April began there were only 10 confirmed cases and no deaths – President Hage Geingob's government...
Vol 61 No 7 | LESOTHOCOVID-19 A diversion for the premier 2nd April 2020 One person who may have welcomed the coronavirus was Prime Minster Thomas Thabane, who was in a terminal political crisis when it struck. He had promised to resign...
Vol 61 No 7 | MADAGASCARCOVID-19 Pre-self-isolated 2nd April 2020 Madagascar is on few international airline routes, so Covid-19 came late to the island. The authorities were able to impose quarantine on arriving travellers early, even before the...