POLITICS-DRC: “An Opportunity for Congo’s Ordinary People to Express Themselves”

When voters in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) go to the polls Sunday, they will be participating in a general election for which the words "epic" and "historic" seem scarcely to do justice.

HEALTH-SOUTH AFRICA: When Putting AIDS in the Crosshairs, Set Targets

Civil society organisations in South Africa are preparing to push government to meet its commitment for setting national targets on HIV/AIDS, made at the recent United Nations General Assembly Special Sessions on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS).

DEVELOPMENT-AFRICA: To End Hunger – More Aid, Quicker Aid, Smarter Aid

Global aid agency Oxfam has called for a thorough review of efforts to end hunger in Africa, arguing that emergency assistance is often inadequate and arrives too late - while the underlying causes of hunger are going largely unaddressed.

POLITICS-DRC: Challenging Times for Election Observers

General elections that loom at the end of the month in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) present considerable difficulties to all involved - not least local and foreign observers.

ECONOMY-CENTRAL AFRICA: Profits to Be Had in Becoming a Banana Republic

It's a tale of two countries, and competing groups of female sellers. The account of the banana trade between Cameroon and Gabon is also an illustration of how difficult regional economic integration can be.

DEVELOPMENT: Aid for the Poor, Not for the Consultants

No less than a quarter of annual development aid - about 20 billion dollars - is being used by donor countries to fund technical assistance of sometimes dubious worth, says ActionAid International in a new report.

POLITICS-ZIMBABWE: The Mediation That Never Was

While U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's stillborn effort to mediate in the Zimbabwean crisis may have made headlines this week, it came as no surprise to political observer Brian Raftopoulos.

RIGHTS-SOUTHERN AFRICA: Striking Down the Taboos About Albinism

A variety of ailments can affect people with albinism, an inherited genetic condition characterised by the absence of melanin in skin, eyes and hair. But, the challenges confronting albinos do not end there: all too often, they are shunned and discriminated against as well, in Southern Africa and elsewhere.

AFRICA: Across the Continent, Gays Face Jail Terms, Discrimination

"We are here in Africa: we live in the mainstream, we pay taxes like everybody else in the mainstream, we relate with people in the mainstream. We are a naturally-occurring phenomenon in the universe," said activist Donna Smith of gay persons in Africa.

TRANSPORT-SOUTH AFRICA: Putting the Brake on “Mobile Coffins”

South Africa is phasing out ageing and ill-maintained minibus taxis to pave the way for new, and hopefully safer, vehicles. Minibuses are a common means of transport in the country, where they serve between seven and nine million passengers a day, according to the Department of Transport.

RIGHTS-SOUTH AFRICA: All (Reasonably) Quiet on the NGO Front – For Now

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) played a key role in fighting South Africa's apartheid system of government, and have remained vocal during the first decade of democracy in the country.

HEALTH-NAMIBIA: Door to Door and Farm to Farm in the Battle Against Polio

A national polio immunisation campaign is scheduled to take place in Namibia during the next few days - this as the country grapples with its first outbreak of the disease in more than a decade.

WORLD REFUGEE DAY-SOUTH AFRICA: Hope in a Suitcase

Conflict in Rachael Mukoma's country, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), made it impossible for her to stay there. At the same time, it was very difficult for her to leave.

RIGHTS: “War on Terror Is Sending People Into the Hands of Terrorists”

Political repression and the war on terror are expected to be amongst issues discussed at the five-day CIVICUS World Assembly that begins in the Scottish city of Glasgow on Jun. 21.

DEATH PENALTY: Calls for the Return of Capital Punishment in South Africa

Frustrated with what they see as increasing lawlessness in South Africa, leaders from political parties such as the Freedom Front Plus, the Christian Democratic Party and the Pro-Death Penalty Party are united in one cause: that capital punishment needs to be reinstated.

SOUTH AFRICA: AIDS Gathering Highlights Tensions Between Government, NGOs

The recent United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS) has tested relations between government and civil society in South Africa.

DEATH PENALTY: Freed From Death Row, Botswana Man Recounts His Tale

Maokaneng Makolong has witnessed much in his 75 years of life, but two events will stay in his mind forever.

POLITICS-DRC: “We Cannot Have Elections Like This”

Hundreds of combatants in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are said to be joining a nascent militia based in the north-east of the country: the Congolese Revolutionary Movement (Mouvement Revolutionnaire Congolaise, MRC). This comes just weeks before the first multi-party elections to be held in 40 years, and is undermining prospects for a successful poll.

HEALTH-SOUTH AFRICA: A Burden That Will Only Become Heavier

Researchers say they are bracing for a sharp rise in the cost of public health services in South Africa within the next few years, due to HIV/AIDS. And, they warn that the country's health department might not be able to cope with its ever-growing responsibilities if government fails to increase the department's budget substantially.

CULTURE-SOUTH AFRICA: What’s in a Name?

A proposal to change the name of South Africa's capital from Pretoria to Tshwane has sparked controversy.

SCIENCE-SOUTH AFRICA: From "Publish or Perish" to "Publish and Vanish"

"Publish or perish" is the warning given many academics at the start of their careers. But it's publication of a very particular kind that scholarly researchers crave.