For Malawian nurse Hilda Maganga, the financial pull of a spell in a ward in Britain is close to overwhelming her desire to tend to patients in her Aids-stricken and impoverished homeland. ''I would like to do a two-year stint in the United Kingdom, make my money and come back to retire for good,'' says the 54-year-old.
Zimbabwe's failing economy and collapsing services have provided an environment ripe for graft, with the impoverished country's woes facilitating an ever-worsening slide towards corruption. Despite setting up a local graft-busting body in 2004, Zimbabwe appears to be losing the battle against corruption, according to a leading watchdog.
Despite putting on a brave face at the annual Zimbabwe Agricultural Show, farmers in Africa's one-time breadbasket face a bleak future as they battle power cuts, fertiliser shortages and drought. Hundreds of farmers from across the country have been gathering in the capital, Harare, since Monday for the showpiece agricultural event.