Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
louise redverslatest news & developments
There are MPLA monuments and museums

Angola’s fearful culture of silence

The divided country is celebrating 40 years of independence but it has been denied the chance to confront the past and heal its wounds.

Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos faces an angry outcry after a leaked report claims that two missing protesters had been
murdered, ­allegedly by government agents. (AFP)

Dos Santos feels heat over ‘murder’

The disappearance of two activists is a serious challenge to Angola’s leader before he retires.

Rafael Marques de Morais. Photo: Supplied

Angolan journo recognised for anti-corruption fight

Angolan journalist Rafael Marques de Morais has won a prestigious award recognising his efforts to fight graft and expose human rights abuse.

Members of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers protest against a pay freeze. (Lisa Skinner, M&G)

And – surprise – the winner is … King Mswati!

Swaziland’s polls offer little hope of change, but some candidates believe they can be agents of change, writes Louise Redvers.

Many judges are Frelimo members

Mozambican politicians ignore probity law

Laws meant to reduce Mozambican officials’ conflicts of interest are clear but not enforced.

Prices of homes at the New City of Kilamba  are out of reach for most Angolans.

Angola’s trophy city a ‘ghost town’

The Nova Cidade de Kilamba – New City of Kilamba – is far too expensive and has not been designed to address the population’s needs.

Swaziland is still feeling the impact of the 70% drop in revenue from the Southern African Customs Union

IMF urges Swaziland to reduce state wage bill

Swaziland’s economic woes continue and the International Monetary Fund has forecast a gross domestic product contraction of 1.5%.

Jose Filomeno dos Santos was appointed to head the $5-billion oil-fuelled sovereign fund by his father in 2013

Angola: Who’s who in the palace?

Tipped as a potential successor to his father, Jose Filomeno de Sousa dos Santos, also known as Zen, has kept out of the limelight until now.

Isabel dos Santos is the daughter of Angola’s former president.

Heirs to a private business empire called Angola

Jose dos Santos’s supporters brush off the allegations of nepotism and say his kids are well educated and simply want to be involved in their country.

Zuma addresses foreign correspondents in Johannesburg this week.

Zuma fails to impress foreign hacks

The president has missed the chance to win over the media with his artless answers to critical questions. Louise Redvers reports.

Analysts Informa Telecoms & Media forecast last week that the number of mobile subscribers in Africa would be as high as 750-million before the end of 2012.

Swazi MPs in dramatic U-turn

The Law Society of Swaziland is planning to take legal action against the Swazi government after MPs reversed their no-confidence vote.

Jose Filomeno dos Santos was appointed to head the $5-billion oil-fuelled sovereign fund by his father in 2013

Angolan wealth fund gets president’s son on board

Angola, Africa’s second-largest oil producer, has become the latest country on the continent to launch a sovereign wealth fund.

Analysts Informa Telecoms & Media forecast last week that the number of mobile subscribers in Africa would be as high as 750-million before the end of 2012.

Swaziland’s phone wars spark crisis

The long-running row between MTN Swaziland and the country’s telecommunications operator has grown into what’s been dubbed a "constitutional crisis".

Cabinda is the smallest of Angola’s provinces and one of its poorest.

Oil-rich Cabinda the poorer for it

Fishing is the lifeblood of Cabinda, a small exclave of Angola separated from the rest of the country by a sliver of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Isaías Samakuva

Angolan opposition alleges fraud

Three of Angola’s eight opposition parties are formally contesting the August 31 election results.

The optimistic oranges and yellows of an MPLA election poster are in stark contrast to the ramshackle reality and hardships ordinary people face in Luanda

MPLA loses its reliable fear factor in Angola

In post-election Angola, the ruling party can no longer count on threat to retain the hearts of voters.

Supporters of the ruling MPLA in Angola attend the final rally of President José Eduardo dos Santos in Kilamba Kaixi.

Angola: Unita claims poll is in chaos

The opposition, which could garner the youth vote, says the election will not be free and fair.

Pudemo

Swaziland parties oppose Cosatu interference

Cosatu has been accused of meddling in Swaziland’s affairs after it publicly declared its support for the People’s United Democratic Movement.

Angolans are increasingly less afraid to voice their opposition.

Angola polls could spring a surprise

Much has changed since the last election and Angolan citizens will not take any vote-rigging lying down when they go to the polls.

King Mswati III.

Mswati’s wives prepare to jet off to Las Vegas

Swaziland’s King Mswati III has sparked renewed criticism as three of his wives prepare to jet off for a holiday in the US gambling mecca Las Vegas.