Poles apart? A tale of two African strongmen

Zimbabwe’s governing Zanu-PF party has confirmed President Robert Mugabe as its candidate for the 2018 polls. President Mugabe who will be 94 in 2018 has showed no signs of relinquishing power and naming a successor. Conversely, reports that Angola’s President Jose Eduardo dos Santos will step down before the country’s 2017 elections have raised a few eyebrows. The reports of dos Santos’ retirement come amidst numerous cases across the continent where leaders continue to cling on to power, in some cases against the wishes of the electorate.