Vol 62 No 11 | ZIMBABWE Repression, guns and new laws 27th May 2021 As economic chaos and corruption reign, President Mnangagwa crafts a wave of new laws to pre-empt dissent After bludgeoning his opponents for the past three years, President Emmerson Mnangagwa is stepping up laws against all dissent and erasing the last vestiges of judicial independenc...
Vol 62 No 11 | SOUTH AFRICA Fightback lands in the courts 27th May 2021 President Ramaphosa will see off the legal challenges from Ace Magashule's camp but it will be messy and expensive Political support for the fightback against President Cyril Ramaphosa and his allies in the African National Congress is eroding day by day. The last act of the drama is being play...
Vol 62 No 11 | MALAWI Chakwera loses his lustre 27th May 2021 U-turns and misjudgements are damaging the President’s standing with the public as stresses in the ruling coalition mount As befits a devout evangelist and former pastor, President Lazarus Chakwera promised to lead Malawians 'to Canaan' after winning last year's dramatic election, a re-run of the prev...
Vol 62 No 10 | SOUTH AFRICA Magashule overplays his hand 13th May 2021 After sidelining his main rival, President Ramaphosa has to take tough decisions on state companies, energy policy and jobs There was no hint of triumphalism in Cyril Ramaphosa's measured speech on 10 May at the end of a dramatic three-day National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting that saw his main opp... READ FOR FREE
Vol 62 No 10 | MOZAMBIQUE Total wants new terms 13th May 2021 French oil giant Total has been forced to follow through on its recent declaration of force majeure, and begin demobilising millions of dollars' worth of equipment from its gas pro...
Vol 62 No 9 | MOZAMBIQUE Nyusi's breaking point 29th April 2021 President Filipe Nyusi is under heavy pressure to finally accept foreign military intervention to quash the escalating insurgency in the northern province of Cabo Delgado.
Vol 62 No 9 | SOUTH AFRICA The battle over the bench 16th April 2021 A bid to impeach a senior judge is part of the wider fight between loyalists of President Ramaphosa and his predecessor It has taken 13 years for the Judicial Conduct Tribunal of the Judicial Services Commission (JSC) to recommend the impeachment of Western Cape Judge President, Justice John Hlophe,...
Vol 62 No 8 | SOUTH AFRICA The state capturers fight back 15th April 2021 Corrupt officials and business allies are running multi-billion dollar rackets in state companies, derailing attempts at reform The beneficiaries of what could be over 100 billion rand (US$6.8bn) of 'irregular spending' in the country's rickety state-owned companies over the past three years are pushing bac...
Vol 62 No 7 | MOZAMBIQUE Insurgents turn up the heat 1st April 2021 A well-planned attack on Palma in Cabo Delgado cost dozens of lives, raising questions about the future of the $20 billion gas project nearby Although government forces claimed definitive victory on 27 March over the Ahlu Sunna Wal Jammah (ASWJ) fighters who had seized control of Palma, on the northern tip of Cabo Delgad... READ FOR FREE
Vol 62 No 7 | SOUTH AFRICA Kingdom in peril 1st April 2021 The death of the Zulu king, Goodwill Zwelithini, promises turmoil for the already volatile province of KwaZulu-Natal The death of King Goodwill Zwelithini, 72, from Covid-19 complications on 12 March, without agreement on how the succession should be managed will complicate the kingdom's already ...