ENVIRONMENT-SWAZILAND: Landmark Anti-Poaching Law Put to Test

One of the world's toughest anti-poaching acts has been on the law books of Swaziland for eight years.

DEVELOPMENT: Southern Africa Gears Up for Steady Power Supply

The bane of business and residential users of electricity -- capricious and damaging power black-outs -- may become a thing of the past in the contiguous nations of Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland and Mozambique with the completion of a region-girding 400 kV power line.

//CORRECTED REPEAT//POLITICS-AFRICA: Swazi Army in Search of a Mission

The dispatching of 36 troops to Tanzania this week for training as African peacekeepers of the future may signal a possible raison d'etre, or reason for being, for an army that after 29 years of existence is still in search of a mission.

POLITICS-AFRICA: Swazi Army in Search of a Mission

The dispatching of 36 troops to Tanzania this week for training as African peacekeepers of the future may signal a possible raison d'etre, or reason for being, for an army that after 29 years of existence is still in search of a mission.

RIGHTS-SWAZILAND: Petty Crime Prompts National Soul Searching

The burgeoning problem of crime is gnawing at the social fibre of one of Africa's most traditional nations, and partly out of frustration, partly from panic, authorities are proposing extreme measures intended not simply to thwart criminals, but seemingly to turn-back the clock to simpler days.

/ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT/CULTURE-SWAZILAND: Wives Tackle Spousal Drinking Habit

The classic domestic dilemma of the irresponsible husband heading for the bar on pay-day and drinking away his wages, leaving nothing for the wife and kiddies when he returns home, has a solution in law in Swaziland.

ECONOMY-SWAZILAND: Mining Dies Prospectors Head for the Hills

Mining was the first industry in this Southern African kingdom, but this year finds another major mine shutting down, leaving only a single coal mine to continue the legacy.

DEVELOPMENT-SWAZILAND: Summer Deluge Brings more Misery

The skies opened this week, releasing a long-overdue summer deluge, but the "too late" water, as the Swazis say, not only failed to undo the damage of a recent dry spell, but brought some additional misery.

POLITICS-SWAZILAND: Trial of Opposition Leader Suspended

The long-awaited trial of Swazi opposition leader Mario Masuku, president of the People's United Democratic Movement, which has been banned for contesting the kingdom's traditional system of royal rule, finally commenced this week, and like the view through Alice's looking glass, things get stranger and stranger.

ENVIRONMENT: Endangered African Hippo Stands its Ground

A growing Swazi population combined with a reduction of indigenous animal habitats have led to the extermination of many local species, though one seems intent on standing its ground.

RIGHTS: DNA Testing Determines Justice in Africa

In an effort not to be left behind in the field of DNA testing for criminal trials, the 14-member states of the Southern Africa Development Countries (SADC) have set up a central testing site in Pretoria, South Africa.

TECHNOLOGY-AFRICA: Frustration in the Information Age

Unreliable, outdated or non-existent data is a prescription for frustration in the Information Age, and is one reason why poor developing countries like the Kingdom of Swaziland are regressing rather than progressing with efforts of social upliftment.

ECONOMY: Currency Crisis Hits Hard Southern Africa

So drastically has the South African rand fallen in the past two months, taking with it the national currencies of Swaziland and Lesotho that are linked to it, that the issue has left the realm of economics to become a political issue with troubling social consequences.

HEALTH-AFRICA: Traditional Healers Attack AIDS Superstition

Diviners and traditional healers through their governing organisations have come out to strongly condemn the belief, endorsed by some healers, that sleeping with virgins cures HIV and AIDS.

POLITICS-SWAZILAND: Opposition Leader Faces Treason Charges

Swaziland's foremost political prisoner, Mario Masuku, president of the outlawed political party, the People's United Democratic Movement, will finally go on trial on a charge of sedition against King Mswati III on Jan 24 at the High Court of Swaziland.

RIGHTS-SWAZILAND: Method of Execution Changed to Lethal Injection

A 19-year stand-off between opponents of capital punishment and a majority of Swazis who favour the death sentence may soon end as the method for execution is changed from death by hanging to lethal injection.

ECONOMY: Tourism Still an Elusive Benefit for Southern Africa

The end of year holiday season in Swaziland and neighbouring countries brought an upswing in tourism business that was a relief to hotel operators, but highlighted a disappointing year when once again the unique attractions of the African subcontinent eluded a majority of the world's travellers.

LABOUR: AIDS Devastates Swaziland’s Workforce

A long denial of its AIDS dilemma will transform Africa's smallest country into a destination for foreign migrant workers, to the dismay of a national leadership that seeks to keep the character of the traditional kingdom of Swaziland intact in the 21st century.

ENVIRONMENT-AFRICA: Growing Need for Regional Cooperation

The news that some of Southern Africa's most devastating "natural" disasters of 2001 were in fact man made has had foreign and environmental ministries of the region wondering if such disasters can also be "unmade".

TECHNOLOGY-SWAZILAND: Cell Phones Transform a Traditional Kingdom

Only three years have passed since the introduction of cellular telephones to the tiny kingdom of Swaziland where less than a million people reside in a country renown for its adherence to ancient traditions.

ECONOMY-MOZAMBIQUE: Border Trade Flourishes

The lesson of the colourful informal community of commerce that has emerged at the Lomahasha border connecting Mozambique with Swaziland is that when faced with survival, inventiveness becomes a necessity and co-operation an essential.