Inner circles | South Africa
Ramaphosa bets heavily on revival of ANC Youth League to win re-election in 2022

The New Guard
Kenya, South Africa, Morocco, Guinea

Kenya
Mary Mutula, from reality TV to activism

South Africa
Chrispin Phiri, justice ministry spokesman and rising ANC star

Morocco
Samia Jlil, co-founder of Women For Cyber Africa

Guinea
Mambi Magassouba combines mining and writing novels

The New Guard
Gabon, Morocco, South Africa, DR Congo

Gabon
Marc Tchango, Ali Bongo's spokesman in Port Gentil

Morocco
Mehdi Alj, following in his father's footsteps to head the Sanam empire

South Africa
Joy Maimela, head honcho at the ANC's new youth league

DR Congo
Eric Tshikuma, journalist, entrepreneur, and now MP

South Africa
Inanda Club, the discreet meeting place of Joburg elite

Finance folk and politicians are among the 1,200 members of the exclusive Inanda Club on the edge of the Sandton business district. They flock there to network and socialise in complete discretion.

The New Guard
South Africa, Uganda, Morocco, Algeria

South Africa
Fasiha Hassan, Gauteng's MPL pushing to rejuvenate ANC

Uganda
Elison Karuhanga, the Lake Albert-connected oil lawyer

Morocco
Boucharab, former IT chief of OCP, LVMH and Total, heads into the cloud

Algeria
Benghanem keen to put Algeria back on investors' radar

South Africa
ANC rivalries in KwaZulu-Natal lead to multiple assassinations

Leaders of the African National Congress have been targeted in a wave of assassinations in KwaZulu-Natal province. They began during the local elections last November in an embittered power struggle as the party loses traction and will certainly grow in the run-up to the national conference in December.

The New Guard
Kenya, South Africa, Congo, Guinea, Morocco

Kenya
Solomon Kuria, the link between Kenyatta and Odinga.

South Africa
Nonceba Mhlauli, President Ramaphosa's youth champion

Congo
Steven Moussala, Prime Minister Anatole Makosso's Franco-Congolese sherpa

Guinea
Mohamed Lamine Solano, Conakry's voice in Washington.

Morocco
Omar Chraibi, the man behind Voltalia's solar victory.

South Africa
ANC pillars are wobblier than ever ahead of conference, giving Ramaphosa room to scheme

The ruling party's deeply dysfunctional Youth League and Women's League have rarely been in poorer health, with the military veterans associations also in disarray. As a candidate for re-election as party president in December, Cyril Ramaphosa sees in their predicaments a chance to undermine his rivals.

South Africa
Nine months before ANC elects 'top six', local branches stuck in mud

The African National Congress is set to renew its leadership in December, yet the local conferences that must happen beforehand, are not taking place, due to lack of funding and intense rivalries.

South Africa
ActionSA Liberals draw up roadmap to end ANC domination

Herman Mashaba's party wants to end the African National Congress' lengthy rule. But its attempts to unite with the Democratic Alliance and the Economic Freedom Fighters at the local level are proving trickier than expected.

South Africa
High-powered legal team helps Eskom defeat Nersa in electricity price battle

South Africa's High Court has declared Eskom the winner in its dispute with the National Energy Regulator of SA (Nersa) over electricity prices for 2022 and 2023.

South Africa
Johannesburg gripped by vanadium fever

With vanadium prices constantly breaking new records, miners of this mineral in which South Africa is rich are striving with the blessing of Pretoria to win back a market share that has been lost to China in recent years.

Inner circles | South Africa
The behind-the-scenes power players at the redoubtable Department of Mineral Resources and Energy

The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy is used to making the headlines in the South African press over its management of the country's electricity supply network. It also plays a crucial role, however, in the functioning of South Africa's tentacular mining sector.

Morocco, South Africa
Ramaphosa appoints senior diplomat to fill year-long embassy vacancy in Rabat

Disputed Western Sahara's status remains an obstacle to normalisation between South Africa and Morocco.

Spotlight | South Africa
Jacob Zuma hanging on a thread

At the outcome of the general election on 7 May, the African National Congress (ANC) MPs will still have the majority in parliament and will reinstall Jacob Zuma, 72, as the country’s president. However, he will have a hard time [.

South Africa
Jacob Zuma’s supporters’ latest move

The power balance in the African National Congress (ANC) is not entirely in President Jacob Zuma’s favour. The 70-year old [...]