POLITICS-AFRICA: Women Charting the Continent’s Future

"We must congratulate Rwanda for achieving 48.8 percent of women representation in parliament. This is the highest in the world. It means gender parity is no longer a dream but a reality in Africa," said Lulu Xingwana, South Africa's Deputy Minister of Minerals and Energy, to thunderous applause from over a thousand women who gathered in the capital, Pretoria, this week.

HEALTH-MOZAMBIQUE: Lessons Learned About AIDS Prevention

The AIDS pandemic has taken a particularly heavy toll on Southern African countries – not least Mozambique. According to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), latest statistics indicate that about 13 percent of the country’s 19-million-strong population is infected with HIV.

HEALTH-SOUTH AFRICA: Reversing the Medical Brain Drain

The flight of nurses and doctors from South Africa - and other African states - has long been a source of concern for the governments of these countries. And, the advent of AIDS has sharpened fears about the effects of this migration.

DEVELOPMENT: Lesotho Bears Brunt of Difficult Harvest in Southern Africa

The camera zooms in on a woman who is complaining of weakness and a skin rash. "The doctor says I'm not eating enough," she told a South African television station this week, in a news clip shot in the tiny kingdom of Lesotho.

RIGHTS-SOUTHERN AFRICA: No Rest in the Twilight Years

Getting older in Africa isn't what it used to be.

POLITICS-MALAWI: Inching Towards That 30 Percent Target

Slowly but surely, Malawi’s women are making their presence felt in the country’s traditionally male-dominated political arena.

ECONOMY-AFRICA: Be Careful What You Wish For

The 79-member grouping of African, Caribbean and Pacific countries known as the ACP bloc wrapped up its latest summit in the Mozambican capital, Maputo, this week, with delegates expressing a willingness to kick start stalled global trade talks.

RIGHTS-SOUTH AFRICA: Ending Discrimination No Easy Task

A conference on South Africa’s equality courts has highlighted the challenges of undoing centuries of racial and cultural prejudice.

RIGHTS-SOUTHERN AFRICA: Human Trafficking Stretches Across the Region

Young South African women are being given false job offers to lure them into prostitution in Macau, a former Portuguese colony now under Chinese control, says the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

POLITICS-AFRICA: Jitters About the Congo

A substantial build-up of troops along the Democratic Republic of Congo’s border with Rwanda has sparked fears of renewed conflict in central Africa.

REFUGEE DAY: Pending Asylum, a Cat and Mouse Game With Police

A man who wishes to be identified as Soyu Mokili has discovered that the streets of South Africa's main commercial city, Johannesburg, are not paved with gold in the way he expected.

HEALTH-NAMIBIA: "Let Us Call a Spade a Spade"

The contest to determine who would succeed Namibian President Sam Nujoma as head of the ruling South West African People's Organisation (SWAPO) was eagerly watched in the country and the Southern African region.

POLITICS-AFRICA: Upbeat on Globalisation, Although Southern Africa Lags

Africans feel relatively positive about globalisation and the United States, although the enthusiasm for both is markedly weaker among Southern Africans and Tanzanians than among people in other parts of the continent, according to a major survey of seven sub-Saharan African nations.

RIGHTS-SOUTH AFRICA: Children’s Wishes for Children

While driving from South Africa's capital, Pretoria, to the commercial centre of Johannesburg this week, Jody Kollapen - Chairman of the Human Rights Commission - said he spotted a collection of shacks that were housing families.

MEDIA-ZIMBABWE: A Nation of “Information Scavengers”

It's time for mid-week prayers at the Methodist Church in Main Street. But, spiritual affairs may be the least important matter on the minds of those present. Instead, a lot of time appears to be taken up by more worldly concerns, especially the pursuit of the latest information.

CORRUPTION-ZAMBIA: “Suspects Are Beginning to Look Like Victims”

This month marks the second anniversary of a corruption task force set up by Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa to investigate the alleged improprieties of his predecessor, Frederick Chiluba. However, chances of the former leader being convicted on any of the charges seem increasingly remote.

ENVIRONMENT-SOUTH AFRICA: Limpopo Steps Out of the Shadows

Tourism has long been viewed as one of the holy grails of job creation in South Africa, which is burdened by an unemployment rate of more than 30 percent. Certain parts of the country - Cape Town, and its surrounds for example - have become firm favourites with local and international visitors. Now the lesser known province of Limpopo is also hoping to take its place at the table.

POLITICS-SOUTHERN AFRICA: Regional Parliament Too Costly?

The prospect of a regional parliament in Southern Africa appeared less certain Friday (Jun. 4), when a five-day meeting of the Southern African Development Community's Parliamentary Forum wrapped up in the Namibian capital, Windhoek.

HEALTH-ZIMBABWE: Provision of AIDS Drugs Fragmented

It wasn't an instance where absence made the heart grow fonder. A three-day regional conference on improving access to AIDS treatments held in Zimbabwe's capital - Harare - in March, failed to attract a single government representative from the host country.

POLITICS-SOUTHERN AFRICA: Regional Parliament Essential for Integration

Parliamentarians from eleven countries in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have expressed concern at the lack of progress in establishing a regional parliament. This came during a meeting of the SADC Parliamentary Forum currently underway in the Namibian capital - Windhoek.

DEVELOPMENT-SWAZILAND: Willing Hearts Do Battle With Empty Pockets

In a country where funds for social programmes are often lacking, volunteers find themselves being called on to fill the gap. Of late, however, the demands placed on these individuals have become increasingly burdensome.