Robert Mugabe

Ellen Juru could not hide her grief as she stared at a photograph of her son clad in football attire.

It’s sometimes democracy as we know it—albeit with twists and turns—but there is certainly a new appetite for political pluralism developing in Africa.

Zimbabwe has no money, and its government has no fiscal plan. Its reserves are emptied, tax revenues are inadequate, public funds are still ransacked, and much of the country’s remaining formal employment is in an unproductive public service.

These are dark days for southern Africa.

I spent most of August 2015 in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Zambia—a depressing and mournful tour indeed.

The government of Zimbabwe only has $217 in its public account after paying public workers last week, the country’s finance minister said.

Zimbabwe fined six activists $500 and forced them to do 420 hours of community service for discussing the Arab Spring uprisings.

Many world leaders and analysts agree that current Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe illegitimately claimed victory in a run-off presidential election.

Ellen Juru could not hide her grief as she stared at a photograph of her son clad in football attire.

It’s sometimes democracy as we know it—albeit with twists and turns—but there is certainly a new appetite for political pluralism developing in Africa.

Zimbabwe has no money, and its government has no fiscal plan. Its reserves are emptied, tax revenues are inadequate, public funds are still ransacked, and much of the country’s remaining formal employment is in an unproductive public service.

These are dark days for southern Africa.

I spent most of August 2015 in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Zambia—a depressing and mournful tour indeed.

The government of Zimbabwe only has $217 in its public account after paying public workers last week, the country’s finance minister said.

Zimbabwe fined six activists $500 and forced them to do 420 hours of community service for discussing the Arab Spring uprisings.

Many world leaders and analysts agree that current Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe illegitimately claimed victory in a run-off presidential election.