HEALTH-SOUTH AFRICA: The Mystery of Discordance

Silas Masindi* was not entirely surprised by his HIV test results. The dapper garment trader, who discovered earlier this year that he was infected with the AIDS virus, admits to using condoms somewhat erratically before he remarried three years ago.

RIGHTS-SOUTH AFRICA: Zuma Acquitted – but “The Struggle Continues”

As the rape trial of former South African deputy president Jacob Zuma wrapped up Monday with an acquittal for the defendant, calls were sounded for the verdict not to be seen as undermining the fight to curtail rape.

DEVELOPMENT-ZIMBABWE: To Farm, or Not to Farm?

Recent moves by the Zimbabwean government to allow white farmers whose land was confiscated to resume farming, have drawn a variety of responses.

WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY: Cause for Hope and Concern in Southern Africa

As countries around the world commemorate World Press Freedom Day on Wednesday, a mixed picture has emerged of the state of media freedom in Southern Africa.

HEALTH: A Weapon Against AIDS That Looks Just Like Hair Gel

"Mafuta" is the word used by Kennedy Mundia to describe the colourless, odourless gel that he wants 1,500 women in the Southern African country of Zambia to try out, starting next month.

RIGHTS-NAMIBIA: Bushmen Survive Millennia – But Perhaps Not Modernity

"They have no voice, no jobs; poverty is excruciating, slavery is there - because they work for others for nothing, like in only getting a plate of food or tombo (traditional beer). They are just suffering."

POLITICS-AFRICA: Tough Questions for Former Heads of State

A public discussion with eleven former African leaders attending an African Presidential Roundtable, crowned the two-day event held at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg recently.

TRADE: Caution in South Africa About Sudanese Investment Opportunities

Officials in south Sudan are looking for foreign investment to develop the impoverished but oil-rich region that has been devastated by a 21-year conflict which ended last year.

POLITICS: Showing Former African Leaders the Carrot, Rather Than the Stick

With eleven former African heads of state gathered at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa (Wits) for the fourth African Presidential Roundtable, questions are being asked as to what they can achieve after leaving office.

POLITICS-SWAZILAND: Border Post Scuffles Highlight a Democratic Shortfall

Activists lobbying for democratic reform in Swaziland have vowed to push ahead with their campaign, even though several of them were temporarily detained this week for blocking the five border posts between South Africa and Swaziland.

HEALTH-AFRICA: “An Opportunity to Change the Course of History”

An Africa-wide campaign has been launched to halt HIV infections, this as the continent continues to be the worst affected by AIDS globally.

SOUTH AFRICA: The Shower That Washed Anti-AIDS Efforts Down the Drain

AIDS activists have expressed concern about a remark by former South African deputy president Jacob Zuma that he minimised his risk of contracting the AIDS virus during unprotected sex with an HIV-positive woman, by taking a shower afterwards.

DEVELOPMENT-SWAZILAND: Aid Initiatives Not to Be Taken on Faith

Faith-based organisations that wish to succeed with humanitarian projects in Swaziland have been advised to take into consideration the views and sensibilities of indigenous populations, even if the benefactors believe they are on a mission from God and know what is best for the local people.

WORLD HEALTH DAY: Medical Brain Drain Puts Southern Africa in a Quandary

The figures tell it all. In South Africa, 37 percent of the country's doctors and seven percent of its nurses have migrated to Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Portugal, Britain and the United States.

RIGHTS-NAMIBIA: Leaving Prostitution – Easier Said Than Done

"Everything revolves around money and without work there is no money," says 33-year-old Maria Xoagub*, a mother of three who earns her living as a prostitute. "Sometimes we try stopping going to sell our bodies in the streets, but when poverty takes over we are back there."

HEALTH-ZIMBABWE: Bleak Future for Children With a Double Burden

The child squirms drowsily as it struggles to roll over on the bunk bed, eventually succumbing to sleep. The skin on its face is too taught. Wisps of hair look as if they could fall out at any minute.

AFRICA: Resources for Development “Scarce and Grossly Mismanaged”

The first United Nations Millennium Development Goal (MDG) could arguably be seen as the mother of MDGs, as a country's ability to eradicate extreme hunger and poverty will be a determining factor in whether it attains the other seven goals.

WORLD HEALTH DAY: Mozambican Nurses to the Fore with ARV Distribution

With World Health Day (Apr. 7) rapidly approaching, public attention is being directed this week to the widespread shortage of health workers. The theme for World Health Day 2006, 'Working together for health', was chosen to add momentum to efforts at resolving the crisis - something that is nowhere more evident than in Mozambique.

ECONOMY-AFRICA: Admiration and Wariness Towards China

Five years ago, Martyn Davies used to give talks on China a couple of times a year, if he was lucky. "Now I get invited twice a week," he says, highlighting how interest in China's booming economy has grown.

CULTURE-SOUTH AFRICA: Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

The braiding of black hair is a slow process, typically starting at an early hour, and continuing well into the evening. For the uninitiated, it is easy to imagine that hours of socialising in bustling salons are involved.

DEVELOPMENT-SOUTH AFRICA: Making Downtown Up-market

"Living and playing in the city," as he puts it, was such an appealing idea that two years ago Khabo Baloyi decided to buy an apartment in downtown Johannesburg.