RIGHTS-SOUTH AFRICA: Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Jane Zweli* has tried to escape her abusive marriage - tried no less than three times, in fact. But, with little education and few skills, she fears that a future away from her husband might be even bleaker than one with him.

POPULATION: Mixed Blessings for Zimbabweans Who Brave South Africa

In the dingy halls of the hotel, one of the staff is talking on the phone. "Tau has been killed," he says. "I cannot tell you who did it, but Memo discovered the corpse."

EDUCATION-SOUTH AFRICA: Orphans Face a Double Loss – Parents and Schooling

Ndiphiwe Nyathi's* mother died while her daughter was at school; now the teenage girl is missing classes to nurse her ailing father. When she does attend lessons, "she seems angry," says Valencia Gqaleni, one of her teachers at Manyano High School. "She fought with the other learners one day."

ECONOMY-SOUTH AFRICA: Microcredit Viable In the Age of AIDS?

The development of microcredit initiatives has proved a boon for thousands of the world’s poor. But, even the most ardent supporters of these schemes acknowledge that disease may undermine the effectiveness of microcredit, by threatening the ability of people to repay their loans.

POLITICS-DR CONGO: Exiled Soldiers Returning Home

People on both sides of the Congo River are breathing sighs of relief following the repatriation of former soldiers back to Kinshasa. The combatants had spent eight years in exile in neighbouring Congo-Brazzaville.

ECONOMY: South African Mining Giants Seek Their Fortune Abroad

A number of South African mining companies, long a pillar of the country's economy, are now primed for take-off to countries with lower mining standards and labour regulations, says Ponti Zimisele, a South African trade unionist and labour researcher.

CULTURE-SOUTH AFRICA: Seeing, Rather Than Seen

Black women in South Africa are no strangers to photography. In years gone by, however, they have typically found themselves in front of the lens - often portrayed as "'mother of the nation', 'black sex object' or 'poor, black victim without agency'," in the words of gender activist Janine Moolman.

POLITICS-ZANZIBAR: Third Time Unlucky For the Opposition Party

Zanzibar's ruling party won a third straight electoral victory in a fierce battle that has sparked mixed opinion about expected unrest among grassroots supporters and the challenges of governing amid such bitterness.

POLITICS-TANZANIA: Tensions Ahead of Zanzibari Poll

"It's more than politics - it's chaos. Most of these international observers are really terrified by what is going to be the situation in Zanzibar," says rights worker Deus Kabamba of the upcoming general election in Tanzania's semi-independent archipelago.

RIGHTS-SWAZILAND: Reporting on AIDS Orphans a Balancing Act

The plight of AIDS orphans in Swaziland, currently labouring under the world's highest HIV prevalence rate, is an issue that demands coverage. Journalists often find themselves in a quandary concerning how best to tackle it, however.

CULTURE: Malawians Pursue the “Bootylicious”

On a cool evening, a young woman who identifies herself as Yasmin swings her hips as she walks confidently from her living quarters at the University of Malawi campus, towards a hall where a disco is being held.

SOUTHERN AFRICA: A Long and Winding Road to Better Transport Links

On paper, regional integration in Southern Africa has made advances - with countries being knit together by protocols and agreements of every stripe.

POPULATION-SOUTH AFRICA: Inter-Country Adoption a Last Resort, or Best Hope?

It seems an obvious response to a pressing problem. If there are thousands of orphaned children in South Africa who cannot find a home in their extended families, then why not place more emphasis on adoption? And if adoptive families cannot be found locally, why not look abroad?

EDUCATION-SOUTH AFRICA: The Past Isn’t History Yet

Clever student, top grades, demanding university course...For anyone in this position, using a cheque book or managing medical insurance should be a cinch, right?

POPULATION-SOUTH AFRICA: “Men Must Work with Other Men”

For Tukisang Senne, programme director at the Planned Parenthood Association of South Africa (PPASA), the battle to put men and women on an equal footing has to be waged on various fronts.

SOUTH AFRICA: Putting Gender Equality at the Forefront of Local Government

A ground-breaking gender equality training course for local government officials has wrapped up in South Africa's financial capital, Johannesburg.

RIGHTS-SOUTH AFRICA: Refugees Adopt a “Wait and See” Approach

Refugees and civil society groups have reacted cautiously to statements by a high-ranking South African official condemning the treatment of refugees by police.

ECONOMY: Mauritius Battles to Keep Sugar Industry From Turning Sour

Sugar has long been the sweetener in Mauritius' global trade. But now the island faces an unpalatable fight to keep the industry going in light of a recent European Union (EU) proposal to cut sugar prices to African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries.

AFRICA: Fuel Reserves Oil the Wheels of Corruption

Corruption is costing Africa's oil industry billions of dollars annually says Peter Eigen, founder and chairman of Transparency International (TI) - a non-governmental group based in Berlin which monitors and fights graft.

HEALTH-MOZAMBIQUE: Poverty and Stigma Ensnare Children With AIDS

At the tender age of 12, Pedro Moniz* is already a veteran when it comes to observing the regimen of anti-retroviral drugs that keeps AIDS-related illnesses at bay.

ECONOMY: Africa Given a Small Slice of the Investment Pie

Africa must redouble its efforts if it wants to attract more investment, an official from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said Thursday at the launch of the agency's annual 'World Investment Report'.