Politics | - Part 10

Kenyan Opposition Choice of Odinga May Weaken Presidency Bid

NAIROBI (Capital Markets in Africa) – The emergence of former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who’s lost three presidential votes, as the opposition’s favored candidate may diminish its chances of unseating Uhuru Kenyatta in elections in August. Odinga, 72, is backed by most members of a technical committee appointed by the opposition National Super Alliance to pick a presidential candidate, a spokesman for the party said by mobile-phone text message on Thursday. The Nairobi-based Standard newspaper reported earlier that Odinga’s…

President Zuma Survives Calls to Quit With Backing From South Africa’s ANC

Posted on by The Editorial Team

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South African President Jacob Zuma survived calls to resign by winning the support of the ruling party following his decision to fire the finance minister and stack the cabinet with loyalists. The rand weakened. The African National Congress won’t vote against Zuma in a no-confidence motion in parliament that the main opposition parties have requested, Secretary-General Gwede Mantashe told a briefing Wednesday in Johannesburg after a meeting of the ANC’s National Working Committee….

South African Assets Tumble as Gloom Pervades Fiscal Outlook

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JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South African bank stocks tumbled and bonds plunged as the rand headed for its biggest weekly slide since 2015 after the firing of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan raised concerns about the country’s fiscal path and its investment-grade credit rating. The rand dropped as much as 2.6 percent before paring the decline to trade 0.9 percent weaker at 13.3995 per dollar by 5:15 p.m. in Johannesburg, heading for a seven-week low. Benchmark…

Zuma’s Night of Long Knives Risks ANC Split, Credit Rating

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JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – South African President Jacob Zuma fired Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan and made sweeping changes to his administration in a high-stakes power play that may threaten his own presidency and place the nation’s investment-grade credit rating at risk. Zuma replaced Gordhan, with whom he feuded over state finances, with Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba, who has no financial or business experience. He also named lawmaker Sfiso Buthelezi to take over from Mcebisi Jonas as deputy finance minister. The…

Capitec Says Political Risk May Delay SouthAfrica Economic Rebound

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JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – The uncertainty surrounding South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan’s future risks heaping extra pressure on consumers and delaying a rebound in the country’s economy, according to the nation’s largest provider of loans not backed by assets. “It’s going to be a difficult year if you look at the political risk,” Capitec Bank Holdings Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Gerrie Fourie said by phone on Tuesday. “It’s probably going to be much longer before there’s a turning point…

Nigeria tests waters for possible broad naira devaluation

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ABUJA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Nigeria effectively devalued the naira for private individuals on Monday, paving the way for a possible broader move despite stiff resistance from President Muhammadu Buhari. With Buhari abroad for medical treatment and the country’s currency exchange system in chaos, the central bank said Nigerians wanting dollars for travel or to pay foreign school fees could buy dollars at nearly 20 percent above the official rate. Some Nigerians saw the…

Angolan Leader Dos Santos to Step Down After 38 Years in Power

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LUANDA (Capital Markets in Africa) – Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, in power since 1979, won’t stand as the ruling party’s top candidate in elections this year, ending an era that was burdened by civil war while he expanded oil output to rival Nigeria as Africa’s biggest producer. Defense Minister Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenco will be the pick for the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola in the August vote, Dos Santos said at the…

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