Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Hundreds of Zimbabweans who fled their homeland for South Africa during the despotic rule of Robert Mugabe took to the streets of Johannesburg to celebrate the resignation of the hated president. Blowing vuvuzelas, waving Zimbabwean flags and stamping their feet, Zimbabweans danced their way …
Read More »ANALYSIS: How president Lourenco is stamping his authority on Angola
Luanda, Angola | NEWS ANALYSIS | On 15 November, as most of southern Africa’s attentions turned to the military takeover ensuing in Zimbabwe, Angola’s President João Lourenço took a set of dramatic steps. Acting with lightning speed, he fired the entire board of Angola’s state oil company Sonangol, including its chair Isabel dos Santos. Later that day, …
Read More »African Union welcomes Mugabe resignation
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | The African Union has welcomed Robert Mugabe’s decision to step down as president of Zimbabwe, saying the people had expressed their will for a “peaceful transfer of power.” AU commission chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat said he “welcomes the decision by President Robert Mugabe to …
Read More »Zimbabwe’s former vice president to return home: aide
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s former vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa will return home on Wednesday, more than two weeks after fleeing the country following his ouster by Robert Mugabe, his aide said. Mugabe resigned as president on Tuesday, swept from power as his 37 years authoritarian rule crumbled within …
Read More »Zimbabwe awaits new leader after Mugabe’s shock exit
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabweans waited Wednesday to discover when their new leader would be appointed after president Robert Mugabe’s resignation brought a sudden end to a 37-year reign of authoritarian rule. Mugabe’s tenure ended in an announcement at a special joint session of parliament where MPs had convened …
Read More »Free speech in Zimbabwe parliament after 37 years of oppression
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | The Zimbabwean parliament did not have time to vote for Robert Mugabe’s dismissal — because the president had already resigned. But this extraordinary session served as an outlet for elected officials, who took the opportunity to denounce the excesses of his authoritarian regime. On this …
Read More »Britain offers help for Zimbabwe after Mugabe ‘oppression’
London, United Kingdom | AFP | British Prime Minister Theresa May said Robert Mugabe’s resignation on Tuesday gave Zimbabwe “an opportunity to forge a new path free of the oppression that characterised his rule,” and declared Britain stood ready to help. “In recent days we have seen the desire of the …
Read More »MTN looks to cut ‘excessive’ licence fee in Benin
Cotonou, Benin | AFP | South African mobile phone giant MTN is in talks with Benin’s telecoms regulator after its subsidiary was slapped with a bill of more than $200 million. The regulator (Arcep) wants MTN Benin to pay 134.4 billion CFA francs — the equivalent of $213 million (205 million …
Read More »African leaders driven from power
Paris, France | AFP | Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe, who resigned on Tuesday, is the latest in a long list of African leaders forced from power by coups, rebels and popular uprisings since 2010. Aged 93, Mugabe stepped down days after a military takeover and following unprecedented demonstrations against his rule. – …
Read More »What now after Mugabe resignation?
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Robert Mugabe shocked Zimbabwe and the world when he resigned as president on Tuesday, ending his 37-year grip on power. It also plunged the nation into uncertainty, raising institutional questions over succession although the military will likely retain power for now. Speaking to AFP, Derek …
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