Vol 52 No 4 | SOUTH AFRICA Zumanomics sound better 18th February 2011 There is little new in Zuma’s new economic strategy but his growing confidence is pulling in more support President Jacob Zuma’s third State of the Nation address to Parliament, on 10 February, was more like a bid for a second term at the elections in 2012. He repeated his New Year ple...
Vol 52 No 4 | NAMIBIAUNITED STATESIRAN No uranium for Tehran 18th February 2011 United States’ worries over possible uranium sales to Iran from the planned Valencia mine in west-central Namibia may have blocked its sale to George Forrest International (GFI), a...
Vol 52 No 4 | MALAWI Pre-emptive policing 18th February 2011 Police swooped on organisers of the ‘Big Bicycle March on the Chronic Fuel Crisis’ just before it set off in Lilongwe on 14 February. The Human Rights Consultative Committee, Malaw...
Vol 52 No 2 | MALAWI Subsidising politics 21st January 2011 Maize subsidies win votes but the impact on the economy – and on agriculture – is not so healthy Having bucked conventional wisdom on government subsidies to small farmers, President Bingu wa Mutharika staked his election chances on his Farm Input Subsidy Programme in the 2005...
Vol 52 No 2 | ZAMBIA Banda on the backfoot 21st January 2011 Despite a faster-growing economy, opposition parties are winning support by pushing nationalism Facing growing dissatisfaction, President Rupiah Bwezani Banda and the governing Movement for Multiparty Democracy have a fight on their hands to win this year’s national elections...
Vol 52 No 2 | ZIMBABWE The junta gets ready 21st January 2011 Didymus Mutasa, Administration Secretary of the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front, may have a reputation as a bumbler but he does voice thoughts others would p...
Vol 52 No 1 | ZIMBABWE Getting ready to vote 7th January 2011 But when? President Mugabe wants a delay, his opponents want a road map and SADC does very little about it Zimbabweans will have a chance to vote at least once this year. First will come a constitutional referendum, then – if President Robert Mugabe and his allies have their way – gener...
Vol 52 No 1 | ZIMBABWE Even ZANU can change 7th January 2011 As the junta got ready to step up its harassment and violence against the opponents of the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front, ZANU-PF’s rivals for the succession were...
Vol 52 No 1 | MADAGASCAR A permanent putsch 7th January 2011 Foreigners disapprove but Andry TGV Rajoelina wants to be president and the voters may agree He has not announced that he is standing but transitional leader Andry Rajoelina is on the campaign trail for the presidential and legislative polls that are due by midyear. He kee...
Vol 52 No 1 | ZAMBIA Challenging Banda 7th January 2011 President Rupiah Banda is facing an increasingly strong challenge in the upcoming elections since Michael Sata’s Patriotic Front (PF) made common cause with the United Party for Na...