While looking at Zimbabwe’s new public-private partnership mining company, Kuvimba Mining House (KMH) founded two years ago, which on the 22nd February had taken over the once-mighty Steelmaker Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company (Zisco) in a multi-dollar deal, I came across a familiar name: Kudakwashe Tagwirei. This Zimbabwe businessman and President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s buddy is also his advisor.
The African Union (AU) February summit that marked its 20th year of existence, replacing the Organisation of African Union (OEU) founded in 1963, took place against a successful coup d’etat in Burkina Faso on the 23rd January – one of several in recent times. On the 1st February a coup attempt failed in Guinea-Bissau, a country that had suffered four coups since its independence from Portugal in 1974. Moussa Faki Mahamat of Chad spoke of a disaster, calling coups absolutely unacceptable, with the summit condemning such unconstitutional power grabs.
Are African countries ready for real change? Or even a revolution?
I was recently asked why many African countries are bedeviled by governments unwilling to accept and suppress any dissent, labeling the opposition bad apples and worse, while disregarding the deep divide between the greedy, newly rich party elite and the poverty-stricken masses, endemic corruption, stagnant economies, economic and political refugees. Given the autocratic tendency and kleptocracy of many post-independence political elites and many more issues, what does the future hold? The one-time liberation movements turned into party governments considering it their right to rule. They will not go easily.