Africa September 24, 2021 SOUTH AFRICA: ANC improves candidate registration but election troubles remain Politics, South Africa Anne Frühauf The African National Congress (ANC) appears to have largely closed its self-inflicted candidate registration gap this week, but the party’s electoral troubles do not end here. With just under six weeks to go to the 1 November municipal elections, several... Read More...
Africa September 9, 2021 SOUTH AFRICA: Stumbling towards the 1 Nov local elections Politics, South Africa Anne Frühauf While the Electoral Commission (IEC) should be able to pull off the organization of local elections now set for 1 November, the process threatens to be politically messy and legally contested. Unless the ruling African National Congress (ANC) manages to... Read More...
Africa August 6, 2021 SOUTH AFRICA: Tito’s departure a blow, replacement may prove acceptable Politics, South Africa Anne Frühauf Late on 5 August, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced his long-awaited cabinet reshuffle. The replacement of Finance Minister Tito Mboweni should not have been Ramaphosa’s priority, even if his successor, Enoch Godongwana, is a well-known and pragmatic ANC policy heavyweight. Most remaining... Read More...
Africa July 30, 2021 SOUTH AFRICA: Spending for social peace Politics, South Africa Anne Frühauf To keep the peace, the government has announced fiscal support for the poor and business in the wake of recent unrest; it has also averted a potentially disruptive public-sector strike by finalizing a wage deal. The government has been at... Read More...
Africa July 26, 2021 SOUTH AFRICA: Ripple effects of unrest Politics, South Africa Anne Frühauf President Cyril Ramaphosa is under massive pressure to tackle the fallout from nine days of unprecedented unrest and looting by cleaning up the party and cabinet. Although the government’s initial security response to the mayhem was too little too late,... Read More...
Africa July 14, 2021 SOUTH AFRICA: License to loot or higher degree of coordination? Politics, South Africa #FreeZuma Anne Frühauf The #FreeZuma unrest has wreaked widespread destruction, first and foremost in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province. For now, KZN remains in critical condition, though in Gauteng and elsewhere the unrest appears to be subsiding. Key signals to watch over the coming days will... Read More...
Africa July 12, 2021 SOUTH AFRICA: Unrest is bigger than Zuma but when will it die down? Emerging Markets, Politics, South Africa Anne Frühauf Unrest may continue at least for the next few days, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), after ex-president Jacob Zuma was remanded in custody for contempt of court. Zuma’s imprisonment was the spark that has ignited the #freeZuma and #shutdown unrest, but... Read More...
Africa July 7, 2021 SOUTH AFRICA: Beyond Zuma, Ramaphosa has a KZN problem Politics, South Africa editorial Anne Frühauf Ex-president Jacob Zuma topped the agenda at the ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) on 5 July. Zuma has lodged a last-minute appeal against a 15-month prison sentence for failing to appear before the Zondo commission on... Read More...
Africa June 28, 2021 SOUTH AFRICA: Pandemic politics Politics, South Africa Anne Frühauf On 27 June, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a return to “Level 4” lockdown restrictions for an initial 14 days in a bid to stem a third Covid-19 wave. While less restrictive than the severest lockdowns of 2020, the pandemic surge... Read More...
Africa June 2, 2021 SOUTH AFRICA: Third wave collides with fragile recovery, choppy politics Emerging Markets, Politics, South Africa Anne Frühauf A third Covid-19 wave has prompted President Cyril Ramaphosa to raise South Africa’s lockdown level by one notch, but the restrictions are very mild compared to last year’s economy-wide lockdown. The Covid-19 surge and slow vaccine rollout remain major downside... Read More...
