Southern Africa Archive

Mozambique held elections last Wednesday, but by Thursday the main opposition party, the Mozambican National Resistance, known as Renamo, had already rejected the early results, claiming there were incidents of ballot stuffing. Despite being told by the government that a final count would be available within 72 hours of the vote, Mozambicans are still waiting for the final results nearly a week later. The latest figures released by the government, with 51 percent of polling stations reporting, show Filipe Nyusi, the presidential candidate of the ruling Liberation Front of Mozambique, known as Frelimo, ahead with 62 percent of the vote, […]

Over 10 million people will cast their votes in today’s presidential and parliamentary elections in Mozambique. The outcome could prove vital for a country seeking political stability to encourage more foreign investment and the social and economic benefits it could bring. Although political conditions have improved recently, there have been episodes of violence throughout the campaign among supporters of the three leading parties: the ruling Liberation Front of Mozambique (FRELIMO), Mozambican National Resistance (RENAMO) and the Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM). FRELIMO, which holds over two-thirds of parliament seats, will field a new presidential candidate, Filipe Nyusi. Currently the minister […]

Critics of democratic South Africa have long argued that the country maintains a Janus face toward the rest of the African continent. On one level it sees its future as inextricably bound up with that of the continent and it considers the promotion of stability, prosperity and conflict resolution in Africa as central pillars of its foreign policy. Yet on another level South Africa is viewed by its critics in Africa as a state that draws upon the language of interdependence and cooperation while ruthlessly pursuing its own narrow interests, often with scant regard for African sensitivities. This ongoing debate […]