In some ways the run-up to the South African election has all of the characteristics of an internecine squabble turned public. The Congress of the People has its origins in the ruling African National Congress, so it is no surprise that the very fact of that dissidence and the still-ongoing defections from the ANC to […]
In what figures to be an explosive judgment, it appears that South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) is set to drop its corruption charges against ANC President Jacob Zuma, clearing the way for him to become the country’s next President following April’s election. The justification for the NPA’s decision is still-unclear allegations of machinations, apparently on […]
Most observers, myself included, concur that the African National Congress is likely to win South Africa’s April elections handily. The Congress of the People lacks the infrastructure, the public loyalty, and the heft at the top of the ticket (former bishop Mvume Dandala is a good man, but is not seen as having the killer instinct needed at the top […]
Morgan Tsvangirai is back in Zimbabwe and is ready to return to work after time spent in South Africa after his wife’s tragic death in a car crash. He returns to some modestly good news. Prices of goods bought in the US dollar, newly established as the formal currency, actually dropped in January for the […]
Pop Quiz Time: Citizens of which of the following countries drink the most Guinness? A) Ireland B) United States C) Nigeria The answer is C) Nigeria. There is a host of reasons for this, but primary among them is that Ireland’s finest export is believed to contribute to sexual potency. (Insert your own sex & alcohol joke here.) Nigeria’s […]
A few stories rattling around my brain today: There is trouble brewing in Kenya’s judiciary, where the country’s Chief Justice, Evan Gicheru, is caught up in controversy over judicial reform, cronyism, the rule of law, and general political machinations. This conflict is picking up steam, and as a general rule, these sorts of clashes do […]
In The Sunday Independent Siphamandla Zondi argues that while South Africans need a viable alternative to the African National Congress, the Democratic Alliance has fallen short where it has had ample opportunity. I believe that the problem with the DA is the fact that in the minds of too many South Africans the DA is […]
Is the lack of up-to-date statistics on crime in South Africa at least in part due to the ANC not wanting them released until after the election? This is the implication of a recent piece in the Cape Argus. The reason for the absence of new crime stats is probably more complicated — and less […]
Leaders of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) will meet next week. At the top of the agenda will be the development of an aid package for Zimbabwe and the possibility of imposing sanctions or taking other steps to address the crisis in Madagascar.
Add Trevor Manuel’s almost universally respected voice to the chorus of figures calling for an end to the west’s sanctions against Zimbabwe. Manuel worries that the time for the new coalition government to succeed is running short. “There is a fundamental set of issues that needs to be addressed.” Manuel argues, referring to the new […]
Whether its the result of brimming with confidence, whistling past the graveyard, or playing politics as usual, the African National Congress is looking beyond the April elections to their next term as South Africa’s ruling party. The ANC surely does feel that it it going to win. Indeed, it probably will prevail in April. And […]
Could the end of the brutal and capricious invasions of white-owned farms in Zimbabwe be nigh? It appears that the new coalition government is set to end the farm invasions and restore the rule of law in what can stand as nothing if not a direct refutation of Robert Mugabe’s policies of the last decade. Score […]
Recent Zimbabwe news that falls into three comfortable, indeed cliched, categories: The Good: Trevor Ncube, the media magnate behind The Mail & Guardian, The Zimbabwe Independent, and the Standard newspapers is set to start a new daily newspaper, NewsDay. The Bad: Tendai Biti, Zimbabwe’s Finance Minister, fears that without an infusion of western cash, the country’s […]
Things are coming to a head with the increasingly troubled South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). But the irony is that while for years critics of both the ANC and SABC have accused — and not without merit — the government of being too closely tied to the state broadcaster, the current circumstance may find the ANC […]
I love the lede to this piece on how South Africa’s politicians are trying to capture a bit of that Obama Magic in the run-up to April’s election.: Public name-calling, political turf wars and increasingly innovative ways to woo voters – that’s just some of the ingredients that define the run-up to Election ’09. While […]