Vol 59 No 6 | BOTSWANA A well-scripted succession 23rd March 2018 National wealth may be on the wane, but the establishment is ensuring the change in leader will not disturb political stability After ten years in office, President Ian Khama is on a farewell tour of the country, as pundits ponder whether he was ineffective because he did not do...
Vol 59 No 6 | NAMIBIA Geingob reasserts control 23rd March 2018 The President has seen off a serious challenge as he prepares to take action on corruption and regain public trust Almost three years into his first five-year term, Namibia's first non-Oshiwambo head of state, Hage Geingob, seems to be in a dominant position. Previously acting leader of the...
Vol 59 No 6 | MOZAMBIQUE Maputo's haircut 23rd March 2018 On 20 March Mozambican officials met London creditors of its previously hidden US$2 billion loans to try to convince them to accept a major restructuring of the debt....
Vol 59 No 5 | SOUTH AFRICA Zexit, Ramaphoria, then political landmines 9th March 2018 The new President faces challenges from left and right as Julius Malema steals a march on the government over land reform Weeks of good news for President Cyril Ramaphosa came to a grinding halt on 1 March when the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) outmanoeuvred him to win a...
Vol 59 No 5 | SOUTH AFRICA Not yet Team Ramaphosa 27th February 2018 The new cabinet line-up shows signs of a fraught balancing of ANC factional interests It may be Cyril Ramaphosa's first cabinet but it was not all of his making. That much was evident from the repeated delays in the announcement from the...
Vol 59 No 4 | ZIMBABWE After Tsvangirai 23rd February 2018 Leadership rivalries within the opposition could leave ZANU-PF with a clear run at this year's elections The death of veteran opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, announced on 14 February, has prompted a massive show of grief and support for one of the doughtiest campaigners against...
Vol 59 No 4 | SOUTH AFRICA Auntie Pat's spat 23rd February 2018 The opposition Democratic Alliance, which runs the drought-stricken Western Cape, is embroiled in a battle to rid itself of Patricia de Lille, Mayor of Cape Town, the provincial...
Vol 59 No 4 | ZIMBABWE The boys for the black stuff 23rd February 2018 A company founded by controversial mining duo Andrew Groves and Phil Edmonds has returned to the City of London seeking investors for coal assets in Zimbabwe. Groves and...
Vol 59 No 4 | SOUTH AFRICA A Saint Valentine's Day massacre, of sorts 19th February 2018 After Zuma's messy fall, new President Ramaphosa has to revive the economy, social welfare and his party When it came, the end for Jacob Zuma came quickly. A week before, he was brusquely rebuffing polite entreaties by senior African National Congress politicians to resign from...
Vol 59 No 4 | SOUTH AFRICA Zuma goes down fighting 13th February 2018 The ANC reaches crunch point in the Zexit talks as the State President goes to the wire trying to ease the terms for his departure The African National Congress has decided to remove President Jacob Zuma from office after a tenure dogged by corruption, scandal and economic stagnation. The dramatic decision came in...