Mxolisi Ncube

JOHANNESBURG -- President Jacob Zuma's recent appointment of a team of envoys to monitor the unity government in neighboring Zimbabwe could mark a departure from the quiet diplomacy employed by South Africa under former President Thabo Mbeki. Analysts described the team as "tough as nails," and expected recommendations that will put an end to Mugabe's obstructionism. more

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- Zimbabwe's national unity government, limping since its formation, is now threatened with an ultimate collapse, after Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change party announced that it was temporarily pulling out of the coalition. more

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- South Africa's ruling African National Congress party overcame factional infighting, a splinter party, a spotty governing record and the precarious position of its leader, Jacob Zuma, to win a sweeping victory in the country's general elections. It helped that Zuma is a charismatic and savvy campaigner, who endeared himself to voters by telling them what they wanted to hear. more

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- Zimbabwe's national unity government faces imminent collapse, due to its failure to get critical financial aid from the international community. The country needs at least $8.5 billion in financial aid in order to reconstruct its economy. But its appeals have so far drawn blanks due to donors' skepticism over President Robert Mugabe's sincerity in working with the opposition. more

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- Zimbabwe's national unity government got off to a bad start last month, raising doubts about its ability to usher in political stability and economic revival in the country. Most worrying is the infighting within President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party, where hardliners appear to be opposed to the deal brokered by the regional Southern African Development Community last year. more

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - It is uncertain what effect last week's arrest of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) rebel leader Laurent Nkunda will have on peace prospects in Africa's third largest country. While some people have hailed it as the biggest step in ending one of Africa's worst civil wars ever, others suggest that any celebration must wait until the new-found alliance between Rwanda and Congo proves durable. more

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- Zimbabwe's multifaceted crisis took a turn for the worse late last month when disgruntled members of the usually loyal Zimbabwe National Army went on a six-day rampage, beating people, looting shops and clashing with anti-riot police in the capital city of Harare. Fears now abound that the riots might be a foreshadowing of worse to come in the next few months, as the socioeconomic crisis continues to worsen. An Army major gave credence to those fears this week. more

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- Members of the National Executive Committee of South Africa's ruling African National Congress party held a three-day meeting in Johannesburg this past weekend that left them considering either moving forward or delaying the country's elections, now set for April 2009. While the idea of delaying the elections has been praised in most quarters, the possibility of moving them forward has been criticized as a ploy to catch the ANC's biggest challenger since independence off guard. more

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- The war in the Democratic Republic of Congo entered a complicated phase last week, with allegations that Angola and Zimbabwe had either deployed troops in the mineral-rich Central African country, or had mobilized them in a bid to bolster President Joseph Kabila's army. Fears now abound that the fighting might spark a broader regional war, thereby prolonging a conflict that has killed thousands of civilians and displaced more than 1 million others since August. more

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- A bitter power struggle within South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) has not only led to the imminent formation of a splinter party. It has also completely changed the face of South African politics. For the first time since the end of apartheid, the ruling ANC might face an opposition party capable of challenging its grip on power. In the shadows of the struggle for political supremacy, both the country's economy and its human rights record have taken a beating over the past five months. more

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- Three weeks after Zimbabwe's historic powersharing agreement was signed by President Robert Mugabe and opposition leaders Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara, the country's national unity government has yet to materialize. The three rivals have failed to resolve a standoff over key cabinet positions, with the opposition accusing the Zimbabwean leader of trying to make it a junior partner in the proposed unity government. The deal's survival now appears in jeopardy.
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