The past year has seen some important leadership changes in southern Africa. In Angola, in September 2017, Joao Lourenço became president following the retirement of José Eduardo dos Santos after 38 years. In November 2017, the 93-year-old Robert Mugabe was finally driven from office in Zimbabwe after 37 years in control. He was toppled in a palace coup that placed Emmerson Mnangagwa, his erstwhile ally but now estranged rival, in power. Finally, in South Africa, in February 2018, the dysfunctional nine-year presidency of Jacob Zuma ended when Cyril Ramaphosa, the new leader of the African National Congress, replaced him.
Casting off the liberators
If southern Africa is to grow, one-party politics needs to give way to plurality argues James Hamill
