Southern Africa: New Leaders Can Do More for Rights

Johannesburg — New leadership in key Southern Africa countries renewed hope for greater respect for human rights, but the region's leaders failed to live up to expectations in 2018, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2019.

South Africa's poor human rights record remained unchanged after Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, the former labor leader, replaced Jacob Zuma as president in February. In Zimbabwe, post-election violence and a military crackdown on opponents marred the relatively peaceful national elections in July, the first in 30 years without Robert Mugabe on the ballot. Angola, under President João Lourenço, presented a mixed picture: the political and civil rights environment became less restrictive and the courts functioned without apparent political interference, but impunity for abuses continued. Other Southern African countries with checkered human rights records in 2018 include Mozambique and Eswatini (formerly Swaziland).

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