Angola's Dos Santos, MPLA back successor's bold decisions on nepotism, reform

Angolan ruling party says it supports the decisions and moves made by president Joao Lourenço. The announcement was made after a party meeting chaired by former president Dos Santos.

The decisions in question refer to steps taken by the president to tackle corruption and nepotism, as promised in the canpaigns and aftermath of the August presidential election.

Particurlarly, the firing of over 60 government officials since coming into office, including the former president’s powerful daughter Isabel Dos Santos from Angola’s state oil company Sonangol and her less popular brothers Welwistchea and José Paulino, raised eyebrows as it was seen by many as an affront to Lourenco’s predecessor and godfather President Dos Santos.

Other officials fired or replaced by Lourenco include the the heads of the state diamond mining firms Endiama and Sodiam, the chiefs of the intelligence service and police.

As the President goes about this clean up of the state in an effort to stamp his authority, revive a flailing oil sector and make a case for a new dawn in Angola, many awaited the response of the ruling party to the rather ‘radical’ moves and decisions taken to achieve this.

And now, the Movimento Popular de Libertação de Angola (MPLA) and former president Dos Santos who is said to have been out of the country at the time his children were fired have responded saying; all is well.