Vol 50 No 17 | SOUTH AFRICA Suing the messenger 28th August 2009 Jacob Zuma rarely hides his distaste of journalists - particularly those who ridiculed his presidential ambitions and his political commitment - and his supporters rail against media enemies...
Vol 50 No 16 | SOUTH AFRICA Township protestors take on the ANC government 7th August 2009 After weeks of angry protests in the townships, President Zuma and his ministers promise to make the problems of the poorest a priority Pictures of police firing rubber bullets into a crowd of protestors in Thokoza township on 27 July gave President Jacob Zuma's three-month-old government its strongest reality check to...
Vol 50 No 16 | SOUTH AFRICA The poorest protest 7th August 2009 Gauteng Province, around Johannesburg, is the most heavily industrial part of South Africa, with tightly crammed townships and informal settlements for those who came to find work. It...
Vol 50 No 14 | SOUTH AFRICA Anglo American seeks fresh capital 10th July 2009 The future ownership of mining giant Anglo American is crucial for South Africa, but any deal must suit the ANC government and the unions Anglo American, the huge mining conglomerate, is no longer strictly a South African company since it moved its headquarters and main stock-market listing to London in 1999. Yet...
Vol 50 No 14 | SOUTH AFRICA Anglo American's CEO fights back 10th July 2009 Anglo CEO Cynthia Carroll has called for 'a major overhaul' and 'cultural transformation' of senior management. Those managers are striking back, along with members of the board. Her...
Vol 50 No 13 | SOUTH AFRICA Business beyond borders 26th June 2009 The Zuma government's foreign policy will be more about commerce than high-minded diplomacy The appointment of the inexperienced Maite Nkoana-Mashabane as Foreign Minister in the new African National Congress (ANC) government suggests that President Jacob Zuma will dominate foreign policy, with...
Vol 50 No 13 | SOUTH AFRICA Tshwane's big five 26th June 2009 Foreign affairs analysts broadly agree that five countries will attract more attention from Tshwane (Pretoria) Angola will welcome Jacob Zuma on his first foreign trip as President 'before Christmas'. Zuma is grateful to President José Eduardo dos Santos for the loan of an...
Vol 50 No 12 | SOUTH AFRICA This time it will be different 12th June 2009 Trades unionists and Communist activists are pushing their leaders to take on government as the recession bites Just days after President Jacob Zuma’s 3 June State of the Nation Address on accountability in government and jobs for the people, the trades unions hit back with...
Vol 50 No 11 | SOUTH AFRICA You've stood, now deliver 29th May 2009 The people who got out the vote for Zuma insist that he keep his side of the bargain The trades union chief, Zwelinzima Vavi, a key supporter of President Jacob Zuma when he was a mere candidate, is warning the government of a season of strikes...
Vol 50 No 11 | SOUTH AFRICA The telephone test 29th May 2009 The trades unions' legal challenge to the listing of the multibillion dollar Vodacom cellular phone group on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange tested President Jacob Zuma's political nerves. But...