ZIMBABWE: A "Can Do" Approach to Greater Political Involvement of Women

With general elections taking place in Zimbabwe on Mar. 29, efforts have been underway to increase women's political participation in the Southern African country.

DEVELOPMENT- ANGOLA: Research Initiative Nets Interesting Discoveries

More than 50 species of fish have been recorded in the initial phase of a two-year joint research project on the Kwanza River in Angola.

WORLD WATER DAY-SOUTH AFRICA: Celebrations in the Midst of Crisis?

South Africa is currently celebrating Water Week (Mar. 17-23) to coincide with World Water Day on Mar. 22. The week also coincides with a national crisis in confidence about the ability of government to provide citizens with safe drinking water.

RIGHTS-SOUTH AFRICA: Death Penalty Referendum Call – Critics Cry Populism

Jacob Zuma, the president of the African National Congress (ANC), the ruling party in South Africa, has of late been called a chamaeleon who adapts his speeches to what his audience wants to hear. It's a tactic that has proved controversial, not least when Zuma took up the issue of the death penalty.

DEVELOPMENT-SWAZILAND: “Leadership Doesn’t Act Like It Is a Crisis”

A substantial increase in the number of Swazis requiring food aid has raised questions in this Southern African country. Why the rise, and how long are the higher numbers likely to prevail? More fundamentally, what has caused such widespread and enduring hunger to begin with?

HEALTH-AFRICA: Anaesthesiology on Life Support

A discussion about anaesthesiology and anaesthesiologists is something that could bring on drowsiness, even sleep...Until, that is, the talk turns to shortages of anaesthesiologists in Africa and how this can increase surgical mortality. Statistics on this matter are frightening enough to keep anyone awake.

DEVELOPMENT-SWAZILAND: To Relocate or Not To Relocate?

Climate change appears to have permanently altered certain areas of east and southern Swaziland, where good harvests have not been achieved for over a decade. Agriculture officials and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) now question whether these areas can still support communities.

DEVELOPMENT-SOUTH AFRICA: Farmers Can Plan – But Not Indefinitely

Millions of dollars worth of agricultural produce have been lost due to the electricity crisis in South Africa, which has seen rolling power cuts - referred to locally as "load shedding" - across the country over the past few months. Yet industry players who spoke to IPS about the crisis seemed positive about their ability to weather the storm.

DEVELOPMENT-ZIMBABWE: Full Dams Do Not Translate Into Water Supplies

Heavy rains in Zimbabwe and in the catchment areas of its major rivers in December and January have filled most of the country’s dams to capacity. Yet, many urban households do not have water.

Q&A: "Simply Not Enough People Committed to Proper Water Management"

Following several incidents that have raised questions about water quality and distribution in South Africa, Water Affairs and Forestry Minister Lindiwe Hendricks has tried to allay fears about her department's ability to provide potable water to all South Africans.

HEALTH-SOUTH AFRICA: Too Few Trained Personnel. Too Much Aluminium?

The precarious state of water distribution in Grahamstown, a city in the south-east of South Africa, was highlighted again this month when taps ran dry for almost two days (Feb. 8 and 9) in a large section of the city. Grahamstown's reticulation system has failed residents several times over the last fourteen months in terms of water quality and reliability of supplies.

RIGHTS-SOUTH AFRICA: “We Are Just Helping Desperate People Here”

A police raid on a Methodist church which provides shelter to hundreds of refugees in the South African financial centre of Johannesburg is continuing to draw angry responses.

DEVELOPMENT: Unexpected Benefits of Lesotho Highlands Water Project

The Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) was conceived and built primarily to supplement the water supply of the industrial hub of South Africa. The additional water has however, provided an important benefit beyond the original aims of the project - it is reducing the salinity of the Vaal Dam reservoir.

Q&A: ‘We Want to Prepare Voters For the Election and the Post-Election Scenario’

"If you run an inherently unfair election it will lead to political unrest in a post- election scenario," Lovemore Madhuku, chairman of the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) told IPS.

POLITICS-ZIMBABWE: Mbeki Attempting to Jumpstart Talks

The Southern African Development Community (SADC)-brokered talks to end the political stalemate between the ruling ZANU PF party and the opposition Movement Democratic Change (MDC) are hanging by the thread.

ZIMBABWE: Economy in the Red, Black Market Thriving

When you get out of your car at the Ascot shopping mall in Bulawayo, southern Zimbabwe, it is almost certain that you will soon be approached by a black market trader. Do you need soap? Are your windscreen wipers worn down?

DEVELOPMENT-ZIMBABWE: "God Only Loves Mugabe"

Sikhumbuzo* was only 18 when he left Zimbabwe for South Africa. He managed to find a job, and sends home close on 150 dollars a month in cash and goods - although he can’t say how many people he supports.

SOUTH AFRICA: Government Set To Reach Sanitation Target. Is it Enough?

The South African Department of Water Affairs and Forestry has narrowly missed one of its most important targets, aimed at improving sanitation for the country's poorest people - but plans to make up the remaining ground soon.

POLITICS-SOUTH AFRICA: A Trying Passage for Women in the Ruling Party

The past weeks have been tumultuous for women in South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC).

ZIMBABWE: Good Intentions Plus Poor Implementation Equals Dry Taps

A 20-litre bucket in hand, Abigail Shonhiwa ponders the stretch ahead in her journey to the next watering hole, a distance of about seven kilometres. Her suburb has been facing recurrent water shortages since 2000, in part because it is built on a plateau in the Zimbabwean capital, Harare.

DEVELOPMENT-SOUTH AFRICA: Could Water Meters Be Unconstitutional?

More than 300 residents of Phiri, one of the poorest suburbs in Soweto, demonstrated outside the High Court in Johannesburg earlier this month to show support for a campaign to have pre-paid water meters declared unconstitutional. After a three-day hearing, the judge announced that he would make his findings known early in 2008.