The MPLA managed to retain power in the recent elections but to win the next elections it will have to introduce economic and political reforms
The former Angolan president chose power and wealth over developing his country
The Angolan autocrat, president from 1979 to 2017, built up the wealth of his family and that of his generals at the expense of the citizens
Angolans lose faith in João Lourenço as the economy tanks and corruption persists
Law enforcement agencies are cracking down on the high profile family of former Angolan president José Eduardo dos Santos, accused of plundering revenues from the country’s vast oil wealth. During dos Santos’ 38-year rule from 1979, his offspring occupied top positions in the government and in lucrative sectors ranging from banking, telecoms and media to […]
Countries in political transition have very little time in which to deliver socioeconomic and political change
Angola was badly hit by the oil-price plunge in 2014
One year ago, the Dos Santos family handed the Angolan presidency over to João Lourenço. Now the ex-president’s son has been arrested
João Lourenço’s first year in office has been marked by notable reforms. If ordinary Angolans are to benefit this momentum must continue
The passing of the baton between the two men is the climax of a handover marked by barely disguised friction
Jose Filomeno dos Santos planned to siphon off $1.5-billion when he ran Luanda’s sovereign wealth fund, government says.
Jose Filomeno dos Santos has been accused of the illegal transfer of $500-million when he was the head of the country’s sovereign wealth fund
The country’s constitutional changes mirror trends where incumbents have tinkered with their constitutions, but change will come
Lourenco’s manoeuvering against the nepotistical vestiges of Angola’s last president began in November with the toppling of Isabel dos Santos
In November, within three months of taking control of Angola, Lourenco sacked dos Santos’s daughter — Africa’s richest woman
The leaders for life will face challenges. Debt levels and servicing costs will plague governments. And conflict hotspots won’t cool down
In recent weeks, several Angolan media outfits have accused dos Santos of ordering suspect transfers and payments worth tens of millions of dollars.
‘At times like this, the city’s charm wears thin. Durban might as well be in Mongolia. Or Zimbabwe’
Angola’s João Lourenço will be sworn in on Tuesday as the president but who is the man who ran on the ticket of the MPLA?
Crucially though, Dos Santos will retain control over the MPLA itself until 2022 at the earliest, health permitting.
Together, his children Isabel (44) and José Filomeno (39) in effect control Angola’s purse strings
Unlike Mugabe, Dos Santos has children who can look after him when he slows down
The continent is home to many men who have held office for two decades or more.
"Not only do the two presidents like each other, but there is also a business connection between their two families."
State-owned Sonangol has exclusive rights to Angola’s oil economy, making it a plum target for politicians.
The Angolan president is buying time in an attempt to diffuse growing political tensions and balance popular demands with his personal interests.
The detained Angolan rapper and political activist who dared challenge the state is on a hunger strike and in critical condition.
News analysis: No one knows how the long-serving ‘O Chefe’ will escape the web of corruption he has woven.
Reports of mosque closures and restrictions on wearing veils in public have surfaced despite Angola’s president denying the country’s ban on Islam.
The disappearance of two activists is a serious challenge to Angola’s leader before he retires.
Angola’s sovereign wealth fund, chaired by the president’s son Filomeno dos Santos, has denied spending R3-billion on a London office block.
The son of Angola’s President José Eduardo dos Santos is at the centre of a controversial investment in a R3-billion property in London.