A state funeral was held for former president Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe on Saturday, but the moment of honor in Harare was one of mixed messages and conflicting emotions. That’s been the case since Mugabe, the 95-year-old founder of the independent nation, died in a Singapore hospital on September 6….
Robert Mugabe has died, and Zimbabwe is planning a historic funeral to mark the passing of the man both honored and loathed by his nation. World leaders – from Nigeria and Kenya, Venezuela and the United States and China – responded to the news with their condolences. His Zanu PF…
Laureen is the editor of Africa Times
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has wrapped up its two-day summit in Dar es Salaam, with Tanzanian President John Magufuli taking leadership of the 16-nation body from outgoing chairman President Hage Geingob of Namibia. For now, the SADC will remain at 16 members because Burundi – hoping to join…
In Zimbabwe, crisis is in the air again. Two years after the country’s long-time ruler Robert Mugabe was ousted in a military coup, a crippling energy crisis forces people to live by candlelight as the economy is lurching back towards hyper-inflationary territory. After years of turmoil under Robert Mugabe, the…
Arnaud is a French freelance writer with an African heart who has lived in 10 different Sub-Saharan countries in the past decade. He is currently based in Paris.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa said Tuesday that the country’s decision to return to a single Zimbabwean currency is part of a suite of decisions meant to stabilize the economy – but the abrupt decision to make other currencies illegal, effective immediately, has caught many off guard. Mnangagwa said the use of…
Zimbabwe is cracking down on its human rights activists, with two new arrests reported on Monday, according to Amnesty International. Stabile Dewah, 35, and 61-year-old Rita Nyamupinga were arrested at Robert Mugabe International Airport in Harare as they returned from the Maldives, where they attended a training workshop on holding…
Zimbabwe is moving forward with a process to compensate former farm owners whose land was taken from them because they were white during the country’s fast-track land reform program (FTLRP). “The registration process and the list of farmers should be completed by the end of April 2019, after which the…
There’s increasingly dire news from the nation of Mozambique in the wake of Cyclone Idai, which made landfall late Thursday near the port city of Beira, home to more than a half million people. In a statement to the nation on Monday, President Filipe Nyusi said 84 people are confirmed…
A Zimbabwe official on Monday told the country’s citizens that it considers the Boeing 737 MAX8 aircraft unsafe following the fatal crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET302 – but according to investigative journalists working at the Zimbabwe Herald, MP Energy Mutodi should be looking at his own country. Mutodi, a…
News that Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has hired a Washington DC firm to lobby the United States government on its behalf – and will spend $500,000 a year to do so – has raised a furor in the economically stricken southern African nation. The agreement, first reported by Politico…
While the European Union has declined to impose additional sanctions against Zimbabwe, there remains much concern over human rights and democratic principles amid the country’s economic and political crisis. “We have seen a crackdown on demonstrations in January – just a month ago – as well as the disproportionate use of force by…
South Africa has issued the latest appeal to the international community to lift longstanding sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe in order to alleviate pressures contributing to its economic and political crises. “Zimbabwe has been going through a challenging socioeconomic situation, which has inadvertently had an impact on South Africa. We have…
President Emmerson Mnangagwa proudly kicked off a Zimbabwean national dialogue process on Wednesday, amid the country’s ongoing political and economic crisis – but opposition leader Nelson Chamisa was among those staying away. Mnangagwa said the dialogue launch marked the fulfillment of a pledge made at his inauguration to advance the…
President Emmerson Mnangagwa returned to Zimbabwe to deal with the nation’s protests and political crisis, skipping a trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland that followed his official visits to Russia and Eastern Europe. The president defended his decision to raise fuel prices – the proximal cause of…
Zimbabwe’s security forces said Saturday that they’re not the ones responsible for a week of violent crackdowns on protesters and opposition political leaders in the economically troubled nation. Rather, it was “fake police,” and criminals and imposters in stolen military uniforms who brutalized civilians. The explanation was offered during a…