LABOUR-ZAMBIA: Workers Protest Against High Taxes and Salary Freezes

Zambia's labour movement has declared Feb. 18 a day of national protest against government's decision to increase taxes and freeze salaries of the over 120,000 public service workers.

EDUCATION: Zimbabwe’s Miracle Fades

It was once celebrated as a rare African success story, an example of what committed leadership can do.

ECONOMY: Zambian Expatriates Scoff At President Mwanawasa’s Remarks

Low wages and unemployment, coupled with high taxes, have forced thousands of qualified Zambians to flee the country in search of greener pastures - but President Levy Mwanawasa is calling them 'coward failures'.

RIGHTS: Once The Best In Africa, Zimbabwe’s Health System Is Now In Shambles

Zimbabwe's rural health delivery system, once regarded as one of the best in Africa, is now in a state of distress.

RIGHTS-AFRICA: AIDS, Plight of San to be Key Issues at CIVICUS Meeting

More than 600 civil society activists from around the world will meet in Botswana's capital, Gaborone, next month to exchange information and ideas about development in Africa and elsewhere.

DEVELOPMENT-NAMIBIA: Revamped Inheritance Law is Put to the Test

Another chapter in one of Namibia's most memorable legal battles will unfold in the coming weeks, when Ruby Eugen Kalomo returns to court to fight for an inheritance he believes is his.

MEDIA-ZAMBIA: Government Accused of Stalling on Information Bill

Media organisations in Zambia are staging a five-day campaign this week to lobby for the proposed Freedom of Information Bill to be brought before the current session of parliament.

POLITICS-SOUTH AFRICA: Race a Defining Issue in the Upcoming Election

The announcement, Monday, that South Africa will go to the polls on Apr. 14 for its third democratic election has opened the way for political parties to start campaigning in earnest. But, analysts are already predicting that the ruling African National Congress will be returned to power with a sweeping majority.

POLITICS-ZIMBABWE: The Forgotten Ex-Farm Workers

Mathew Gondo was made homeless at the height of Zimbabwe's chaotic land-reform programme, which began in 2000. He was a foreman at Tate's Farm, about 120 kilometers north of the capital, Harare.

HEALTH-SOUTH AFRICA: A Month into 2004, and ARV’s Still Scarce

AIDS campaigners in South Africa are worried about the apparent lack of progress in implementing a plan to distribute anti-retroviral drugs to millions of people living with the disease.

ENVIRONMENT-SOUTH AFRICA: St Lucia Strives to Unite Conservation, Development

Game parks often have an aura of elitism. Those who frequent them generally need money to buy the equipment that allows the wilderness to be enjoyed in comfort - and a stable job so that they can take the time off to do so.

EDUCATION-SWAZILAND: A New Policy to Keep AIDS Orphans in School

A new education initiative has been started in Swaziland to assist children who have lost parents to the AIDS pandemic.

DEVELOPMENT-MALAWI: Fishing Industry Gets Shot In the Arm

Malawi has launched a fishing project that will benefit more than 300,000 people who depend on fishing for their livelihood.

ECONOMY-SOUTH AFRICA: The Brain Drain Proves Colour-Blind

The so-called "brain drain" of professional expertise from South Africa has been a source of concern for several years now. Discussions of the trend have tended to focus on white professionals - but, it appears that black South Africans are also joining the exodus.

ENVIRONMENT-MALAWI: An Elephant Poacher’s Paradise?

As the clock ticks closer to a sell-off of ivory stocks in Southern Africa, questions are being asked about why Malawi's legislation has not yet been strengthened to meet the dangers posed by elephant poaching.

RIGHTS-SOUTH AFRICA: New Land Bill Unconstitutional, Say Campaigners

South Africa's Communal Land Rights Bill is unconstitutional and misconceived, according to human rights groups, legal practitioners and gender campaigners.

EDUCATION-SWAZILAND: English a Passport to Success?

A heated debate is underway in Swaziland about whether children who fail English should be forced to repeat the academic year.

POLITICS-ZIMBABWE: The Talks That Never Were

With people still left guessing as to whether he intends holding formal talks with his country's opposition, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe added a new dimension to the drama this weekend when he was allegedly rushed to South Africa after collapsing at his home in Harare.

ENVIRONMENT-NAMIBIA: Heavy Rains Spark Fears of Flooding

While large parts of Southern Africa labour under the effects of a drought, Namibians - especially those in the north-east of the country - are bracing for floods.

LABOUR-SOUTH AFRICA: German and South African Unions Strengthen Ties

"We live in one world. Not in the first, second, third, fifth or sixth world," Michael Sommer, head of the Confederation of German Trade Unions, said in South Africa this week.

POLITICS-MALAWI: Main Opposition Parties Pull Out of Coalition Deal

Malawi's three main opposition parties have pulled out of a coalition deal that seeks to wrestle power from the ruling United Democratic Front in the May 18 general elections.