SWAZILAND authorities have been urged to shed an age old tribal custom that discriminates against widows. The custom forces widows to wear distinctive black gowns for two years and ostracises them from society. Widows have to sit at the back of public transport buses and churches so as not to cast the ‘shadow of death’ on others. They may not attend community meetings or leave their homes for a full month after the death of their husbands, except to go to the toilet. When they do venture out, they have to be escorted with covered head and face. About 70 women attending a Ministry of Health and Social Welfare workshop in Ngwempisi, east central Swaziland, recently condemned discrimination against widows. The government is currently codifying Swazi law and custom and the Constitutional Review Commission is inviting submissions from members of the public. – African Eye News Service