Vol 67 No 6 | ZIMBABWE Ban on lithium ore exports squeezes presidential rivals 13th March 2026 Ending raw mineral exports helps some mining companies and is also a weapon in the ZANU-PF succession fight Mines Minister Polite Kambamura’s sudden ban on the export of raw minerals and lithium concentrates has a strong political rationale. There was no consultation with mining companies or...
Vol 67 No 5 | SOUTH AFRICA Debt peaks as Treasury pushes for growth and credibility 6th March 2026 The proposed Budget steadies public finances and gives taxpayers some relief, but sluggish growth and the jobs crisis still cast a shadow South Africa has reached the peak of its debt mountain this fiscal year, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana told Parliament in Cape Town in his 25 February Budget speech....
Vol 67 No 5 | SOUTH AFRICA Godongwana balances fiscal formula with spending boost 6th March 2026 The Budget, which will become law only after parliamentary revision, further Treasury scrutiny, public comment and presidential assent, seeks to boost health and education spending. The cessation of...
Vol 67 No 5 | SOUTH AFRICA Zille – the power behind the DA’s throne 6th March 2026 The veteran chief has cleared the way for her protégé to become the next party leader while she prepares to run for mayor of Johannesburg Having been the most vocal critic of Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen, who in February announced his plans to vacate the leadership, Helen Zille looks set to entrench...
Vol 67 No 5 | SOUTH AFRICA Patrice Motsepe isn’t running for the Presidency – but his campaign won’t listen 4th March 2026 Top ANC officials have rebuked lobbyists who want the mining billionaire and sports funder to run for the party leadership South African mining billionaire Patrice Motsepe is emerging as a reluctant challenger for the leadership of the African National Congress (ANC) at the party’s elective conference at the...
Vol 67 No 4 | SOUTH AFRICAUNITED STATES The Trump-Ramaphosa axis heads south 20th February 2026 MAGA Republicans want open confrontation with Pretoria, but many US companies are rebuilding ties The arrival of United States President Donald Trump’s new ambassador, Leo Brent Bozell III, a veteran critic of the African National Congress, in South Africa sets up bilateral...
Vol 67 No 4 | ZIMBABWE Ministers back Mnangagwa’s forever presidency 17th February 2026 The President’s plan to end term limits is rallying opposition parties, unions, churches and war veterans against him The long-planned and indefinite extension of Emmerson Mnangagwa’s presidency is taking shape in the form of a Constitutional Amendment Bill pushed by the uber-loyalist Minister of Justice, Parliamentary...
Vol 67 No 3 | ZIMBABWE Newsmakers: Zimbabwe’s rival oligarchs 6th February 2026 A new split has emerged within President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s cabal, as his Presidential Investment Advisor, Paul Tungwarara, has openly clashed with ‘Queen Bee’ Kudakwashe Tagwirei. Tungwarara and Tagwirei...
Vol 67 No 3 | MADAGASCAR Government by indicator 6th February 2026 Having been swept to power on a wave of public anger over corruption and poor delivery of basic services, interim President Colonel Michael Randrianirina has filled his government...
Vol 67 No 3 | ZIMBABWEUNITED STATES Would-be Trump ally Mnangagwa risks blowback after failing to pay white farmers 23rd January 2026 Buoyed by the US President dismissing human rights policies and pausing anti-corruption laws, Harare had offered business incentives to Washington Within hours of US President Donald J Trump’s re-election on 6 November 2024, his Zimbabwean counterpart Emmerson Mnangagwa ladled on the sycophancy in a social media posting: ‘Congratulations... READ FOR FREE