Zimbabwe: The Blame Game

ZIMBABWE

The Blame Game

Zimbabwean civil servants took to the streets of the capital on Wednesday to demand higher wages from the government as the country continues to see severe hyperinflation, the New York Times reported.

This is the first time that government workers were allowed to strike against their employer, and it comes amid other strikes including an almost two-month long strike by Zimbabwean doctors.

The nation’s inflation rate is about 300 percent, according to recent figures by the International Monetary Fund.

The government has tried to alleviate discontent among civil servants by providing subsidies to help meet the increased living costs, but protesters complain that their earnings continue to devalue in the face of skyrocketing prices.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government has tried to attract investors, but its poor human rights record has been criticized internationally, including by the United States, which imposed sanctions on several Zimbabwean government officials last month.

Since his reelection last year, Mnangagwa has crushed several anti-government protests and has recently blamed American and European sanctions for Zimbabwe’s collapsing economy.

South Africa: A House Of Cards

SOUTH AFRICA

A House of Cards

A long-awaited corruption trial against former South African President Jacob Zuma was postponed to February after his lawyers filed an appeal against an earlier court ruling against his attempt to dismiss the charges.

Zuma faces 16 charges of fraud, corruption and racketeering related to an arms deal in the 1990s, Agence France-Presse reported.

The former president is alleged to have made about $270,000 in kickbacks from a deal with French arms manufacturer Thales during his time as deputy president in Thabo Mbeki’s administration.

Zuma has denied all charges and argues that politics is playing a significant role in his prosecution.

The ruling African National Congress (ANC) party forced Zuma to resign last year after almost a decade in office due to escalating pressure from the public over corruption allegations.

President Cyril Ramaphosa, who took over from Zuma, has made the fight against corruption one of his top priorities, but faces opposition from many ANC members still loyal to Zuma.

Meanwhile, some analysts say the trial could see Zuma dragging down many top officials of the ANC, the party of Nelson Mandela, which has governed the country since the end of apartheid in 1994.

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Guinea-Tim'e Up

GUINEA

Time’s Up

At least five people died and dozens more were injured after protests against President Alpha Conde’s attempt to extend his rule turned violent Monday, Al Jazeera reported.

Police opened fire on demonstrators as they ransacked military posts and blocked roads with burning tires in the capital, Conakry, and in the northern opposition stronghold of Mamou, Reuters reported.

Conde’s second term expires in 2020 and he is constitutionally barred from a third. To get around this, he has had his government look into options to create a new constitution, sparking calls for protests from opposition leaders.

Conde’s first election win in 2010 ended two years of military rule that followed a quarter century of dictatorship, and raised hopes for democracy to take root in the country.

However, Conde has responded to protests by placing opposition leaders under house arrest and effectively banning street protests, according to Human Rights Watch.