Vol 4 (AAC) No 8 | SOUTH AFRICACHINABRIEFING Aurora’s gold mine collapses 9th June 2011 On 2 June, Congress of South African Trade Unions General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi called on the government to launch an investigation into Aurora Empowerment Systems and the Pamo...
Vol 52 No 11 | SOUTH AFRICA Election results keep Zuma in contention 27th May 2011 Enough black voters have stayed loyal to the ANC in local elections to boost Jacob Zuma’s hopes of a second presidential term In spite of many failures in governance and widespread anger among its supporters, the ruling African National Congress decisively won the municipal elections on 18 May. Popular di...
Vol 52 No 11 | NAMIBIA Where the BEE sucks 27th May 2011 A trial in June could mark the start of a reckoning for massive fraud in the public sector workers’ pension fund Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) company Avid Investments collapsed in 2004, losing 30 million Namibian dollars (US$4.3 mn.) to the embezzlement of Social Security Commission (SSC)...
Vol 52 No 11 | MOZAMBIQUE Coal train blues 27th May 2011 Vast coal mines are ready to export millions of tonnes to Asia but disputes over transport and contracts are holding back the trade Mining companies with a stake in Mozambique’s 23 billion tonnes of coal reserves are seeking alternative export routes to Asia because of disputes between the government and Indian...
Vol 52 No 10 | ANGOLA Why the Arab Spring worries Luanda 13th May 2011 After 32 years in power, President Dos Santos presides over a fast growing economy which leaves most of his compatriots in dire poverty The buzz word is ‘opacity’. Elections are due by the end of 2012 but no one is certain who is standing. Angola has one of the strongest economies in Africa but the beneficiaries of...
Vol 52 No 10 | ANGOLA Succession discussions 13th May 2011 Taboo for years, the question of who will succeed President José Eduardo dos Santos has finally come into the open. The Spokesman for the ruling Movimento Popular de Libertação de ...
Vol 52 No 10 | ZIMBABWE Old man out 13th May 2011 The ruling party looks for a new leader, while the opposition wants fair elections At 87 years old, President Robert Mugabe is indisputably slowing down. His party wanted elections this year without waiting for a new constitution. In the run-up, Mugabe was to fen...
Vol 52 No 10 | ZAMBIAMINING Glencore connection 13th May 2011 The serenity of Glencore’s Initial Public Offering on the Hong Kong and London Stock Exchanges remains undisturbed by revelations of inflated costs and transfer-pricing by Zambia’s...
Vol 4 (AAC) No 7 | ANGOLAASIA Shine on you crazy diamond 13th May 2011 The diamond mines have been closely guarded by the Angolan elite and a Chinese company is set to make its first investment in Angola’s precious stones The ownership and control of the multi-billion-dollar China Sonangol joint venture continue to baffle business people in Luanda. Ask officials from Beijing about China Sonangol and...
Vol 4 (AAC) No 7 | ANGOLACHINA China Sonangol still hungry 13th May 2011 China Sonangol and its subsidiaries continue to make Angolan acquisitions. In February, China Sonangol won three deep-water pre-salt oil (equity) concessions in Blocks 19, 20 and 3...