Southern Africa underwent a significant political shift in 2024 that could be seen as the beginning of the end of liberation party rule in the region. The year was marked by key elections in states such as South Africa, Botswana, and Mozambique, all three of which delivered historic outcomes in profoundly different ways. South Africa …
Opposition leader Venancio Mondlane, on 11 November, called on his supporters to stage a fourth round of anti-government demonstrations protesting the 9 October election results. These latest demonstrations started on 13 November and have been well-attended, underscoring the opposition protest campaign’s sustained support. Mozambique has seen widespread unrest since the 9 October general election which …
In an unexpected development, Botswana’s erstwhile opposition coalition, the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), decisively won the country’s 30 October general election, winning 36 out of 60 parliamentary seats. The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), which had governed the country ever since its independence 58 years ago, saw its support collapse and it managed only four …
Mozambique will hold its national general election on 9 October in which the ruling party, Frelimo, is widely expected to win both the presidential and legislative elections. This is unsurprising given that Frelimo remains the dominant force in Mozambican politics and the current election is occurring at a time when the opposition is more divided …
South Africa’s efforts to improve relations with the United States (US) appear to be making progress following the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum in Washington DC on 24 to 26 July. Trade, Industry, and Competition Minister Parks Tau used his post-forum press briefing to state that South Africa was not at risk of …
President Cyril Ramaphosa, on 30 June, announced his new cabinet almost five weeks after the 29 May general election. This new executive is the result of extended negotiations after the African National Congress (ANC) lost its ruling majority and Ramaphosa was forced to secure a coalition agreement in order to form a government. The President …
Cyril Ramaphosa is set to be re-inaugurated as president of South Africa on 19 June. The inauguration is taking place after Ramaphosa was re-elected as president by the National Assembly on 14 June despite the African National Congress (ANC) losing its governing majority in the 29 May general election. The ANC only secured 159 seats …
The Central Committee of Mozambique’s ruling party, Frelimo, on 5 May, selected Inhambane governor Daniel Chapo as its candidate for the upcoming 9 October general election after an extraordinary meeting that had lasted for three days. Chapo was elected unopposed in the second round of voting after emerging as the clear favourite after he led …
On 14 February the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) confirmed that two of its soldiers had been killed in a militant attack on its base in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC’s) North Kivu region earlier that day. The attack was carried out by the M23 rebel group using mortars. M23 is a predominantly …
Yemen’s Houthi Movement declared on 15 January that it would expand its targets in the Red Sea to include United States (US) vessels. This marks a further escalation in the ongoing Red Sea security crisis and will likely lead to further disruptions to this vital shipping route. The coverage of this crisis and its fallout …