BOTSWANA: Deep Divisions Remain Over Media Law

While the international theme for World Press Freedom Day was "Fostering Dialogue, Mutual Understanding and Reconciliation", the Botswana government and the media seemed to take the opposite route - taking turns to snub each other’s calls for dialogue.

RIGHTS-ZIMBABWE: Journalists Spurn Govt Summit on Press Freedom

Media organisations this week dug in their heels over boycotting a national media conference in the resort town of Kariba. State-owned media reported that the much-postponed conference finally opened on May 8, with information minister Webster Shamu lamenting the deep divisions within the media fraternity in Zimbabwe.

RIGHTS-SIERRA LEONE: Child Miners: Legacy of Conflict

Since the end of the civil war seven years ago, the Sierra Leonean authorities and child welfare agencies have been battling to remove children from the diamond-mining fields, a trend which began at the height of the conflict, when children were abducted by rebel forces and coerced to work in the mines.

ZIMBABWE: Urban Residents Left Behind by Dollarisation

Cash-strapped residents of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second city are digging in their heels and refusing to pay utility bills despite the municipality teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. At the heart of the dispute are dismal service delivery and the conundrum of using multiple currencies in an economy that boasts world record inflation.

POLITICS-SOUTH AFRICA: ANC Scores Another Victory: Now Deliver, Voters Say

As results of South Africa's fourth democratic elections held on Apr. 22 come in, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) is poised to return to power in the 400 seat National Assembly. The party is also on course to emerge as the governing party in all but one of the nine provinces. The main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, is likely to take the Western Cape.

SOUTH AFRICA: Thousands of Traders Might Lose Jobs as Market Turns into Mall

Hundreds of traders at the Early Morning market in Durban fear the municipality’s plans to turn the area into an upscale shopping mall that will cost them their livelihoods. The redevelopment is one of many currently underway in South Africa’s urban centres to upgrade city infrastructure for the 2010 Soccer World Cup.

FINANCE: Guns 'n Nurses in Namibia's Budget

Tax relief for lower income groups in Namibia should not conceal that the 2009/10 budget falls short in addressing structural problems in the economy, civil society organisations have charged.

ZAMBIA: Media Resists Calls for State Regulation

After almost a decade of fighting for self-regulation, the Zambian media may finally have its wishes entrenched with constitutional protection.

RIGHTS-SOUTH AFRICA: Women Farmworkers Threaten Election Boycott

Women from South Africa's three Cape provinces have marched to parliament in Cape Town to denounce the country's "slow and unbalanced" land redistribution programme. The protesters said if they are not given greater access to land, they will not vote in the country's Apr. 22 general elections.

MINING-AFRICA: Help Yourself, There's Plenty

The African continent is rich in natural resources; but the terms under which multinational companies exploit these resources mean that governments - and Africa’s people - enjoy only a tiny fraction of the benefits.

Q&A: ‘‘Arms Deal Scandal Threatens Democracy in South Africa’’

South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) vilified politician and former anti-apartheid trade unionist Patricia de Lille when she made allegations about graft in the country’s notorious multi-billion dollar deal with British, French, Italian, German and Swedish arms manufacturers back in 1999.

NAMIBIA: Food Security Hangs in the Balance

Don't talk about food prices in Namibia. Wedged between costly imports from South Africa and failing projects to achieve food security, Namibians are upset, and hungry.

ECONOMY: Namibia Gets BIG on Poverty

There was no mention of a special grant to tackle poverty in the Namibian national budget speech delivered on Mar. 19, much to the disappointment of campaigners for a Basic Income Grant (BIG) for all citizens.

SIERRA LEONE: Radio Stations Banned for Inciting Violence

Sierra Leone's vice president, Samuel Sam-Sumana, on Mar. 13 ordered an indefinite ban on radio stations owned by the ruling All Peoples Congress (APC) and its main rival, the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP).

RIGHTS-SOUTH AFRICA: Election Campaign Silent on Violence Against Women

With its emphasis on gender equality, the South African constitution is regarded as a great example for many other developing countries. Yet, despite laws intended to protect the rights of women like the Sexual Abuse Act and the Domestic Violence Act, women in the country still suffer indignities at the hands of police and in court.

ENVIRONMENT-NAMIBIA: Ten Dollars for a 200-Year-Old Tree

Despite the investment of millions of donor dollars, the permit system in Namibia’s Community Forests has failed dismally, say biodiversity experts. Illegal logging in the inland Kavango is more alive than ever.

ENVIRONMENT: 'Capital Shapes the Creation of Waste'

The South African government has been heavily criticised by environmental justice NGO groundWork for failing to produce accurate data on the production of waste in the country.

Q&A: Does SADC require a regional parliament?

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Parliamentary Forum has set its sights on becoming a regional parliament with law-making powers. The body was established in 1997 to create a platform for the region's legislators to share knowledge and experiences in governance.

MEDIA-GHANA: Unusual Bedfellows Push for Change

There has been a clamour to tighten up oversight and regulation of Ghana’s broadcasters from unusual bedfellows - the state-sponsored National Media Commission (NMC) and the Ghana Journalists" Association (GJA). The bodies have, in separate initiatives, slammed attempts to "privatise" the state-owned Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) and have railed against the practices of commercial radio stations.

GUINEA-BISSAU: Live By the Sword…

Violence was a trademark of João Bernardo Vieira’s life: he survived a coup, four attempts on his life and 13 years fighting the Portuguese colonial army in Guinea-Bissau. But the legend died at the hands of the corruption and violence he himself fed.

WATER-NAMIBIA: ‘Decentralisation’: Code for Recovering Costs From the Poor

What if a well-intended programme to democratise water management is really a poverty trap? This is a question a soon to be published study on Namibian rural water supply poses to decision makers.