Moyiga Nduru

What is a common factor in ensuring that women do not marry too young, do not have more children than they can cope with, do not die giving birth — and contract HIV in smaller numbers? The answer is men. That is the message for World Population Day 2007, which is being marked on Wednesday under the theme <i>Men as Partners in Maternal Health</i>.

Reports that Zimbabwean Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu has annulled the registration of all NGOs active in the country have been greeted with dismay by civil society representatives. State-controlled television was quoted as saying that the annulment was aimed at identifying "agents of imperialism".

A debate is under way among analysts and civil society activists about how South African President Thabo Mbeki should proceed in fulfilling the mandate given to him last month by the Southern African Development Community to continue mediating between Zimbabwe’s government and opposition.

This year will mark the first occasion on which an African country, Kenya, is serving as sole host of the World Social Forum (WSF) — a gathering that had its beginnings in the Brazilian town of Porto Alegre seven years ago. While the WSF did come to Africa in 2006, this was in the context of a so-called "polycentric forum" that also saw gatherings take place on other continents.

The 2006 <i>Human Development Report</i>, titled <i>Beyond Scarcity: Power, Poverty and the Global Water Crisis</i>, focuses on the ongoing problems that surround provision of potable water and sanitation. The document was launched on Thursday in Cape Town by the United Nations Development Programme.

A call has been made for the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to involve civil society in its decision-making process — in deed, as well as in word. This came ahead of the annual SADC summit for heads of state and government that gets under way on Thursday in Lesotho’s capital, Maseru.

A variety of ailments can affect people with albinism, an inherited genetic condition characterised by the absence of melanin in skin, eyes and hair. But the challenges confronting albinos do not end there: all too often, they are also shunned and discriminated against, in Southern Africa and elsewhere.

Recent moves by the Zimbabwean government to allow white farmers whose land was confiscated to resume farming have drawn a variety of responses. "They killed people; they threw them out of their farms, they destroyed the economy. Now they want us to rescue them," says Gerry Whitehead, whose land was seized in 2002.

For generations, African farmers have relied on local knowledge to manage and conserve water. Whether this knowledge should be recognised and promoted by the government is a matter of some debate in the Southern African region, however. The issue is also in the spotlight on Wednesday, which marks World Water Day.

With more than five million of its 47-million citizens HIV-positive, South Africa currently has more people living with HIV/Aids than any other country. This brings with it a heavy burden as concerns providing anti-retroviral drugs (ARVs) to those in need. More than 500 000 South Africans require ARVs.

Political tensions in Swaziland are on the rise following the arrest of 15 pro-democracy campaigners in recent weeks over petrol-bomb attacks that were made on courthouses and the homes of various officials last year. The activists belong to the banned People’s United Democratic Movement.

As the final round of consultations to choose a new director-general for the World Trade Organisation (WTO) wrapped up Thursday, former European Union Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy appeared to be leading in the race to head the body.
He was also reported to be the front runner in earlier discussions on which applicant for the post is most likely to be approved by the organisation’s 148 member states.

<img src="http://www.mg.co.za/ContentImages/199502/Zim_icon.GIF" align=left>A Human Rights Watch group spent more than three weeks in Zimbabwe in December 2004 and February 2005. They found that opposition supporters and other Zimbabweans had been intimidated by Zanu-PF and government officials in the run-up to parliamentary elections.

The World Social Forum (WSF), sometimes described as the "carnival of the oppressed", is under way in the Brazilian city of Porto Alegre. While WSF participants debate the problems facing the international community, another issue is also likely to come up for discussion, however: Africa’s prospects of hosting the forum next year.

A few years ago, the tiny kingdom of Lesotho appeared to have a lot on offer for investors. Textile manufacturers certainly seemed to like what they saw. Towards the end of last year, six textile factories shut down –- leaving 6 650 employees without work. Enraged union leader Billy Macaefa blamed the closures on the expiry of the Multi-Fibre Agreement.

For the better part of this year, the peace accords that brought five years of civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to an end have been described as "fragile". As 2004 ends, however, the agreements seem close to breaking down completely. The past weeks have seen a surge in tensions between the DRC and neighbouring Rwanda.

Voters in Botswana go to the polls this week to elect a new parliament and local government. The diamond-rich nation will become the first to test a new electoral code of conduct adopted by the Southern African Development Community in August. In many respects, however, this will simply be a dress rehearsal for the tougher challenges that the code is certain to face in the months ahead.

A high-level South African delegation is in Angola this week to explore economic opportunities there, in the aftermath of that country’s civil war. Angola is sub-Saharan Africa’s second-largest oil producer (after Nigeria), and within the 13-member Southern African Development Community, Angola is South Africa’s fourth-largest trading partner.

A three-day conference on ageing in Africa opened in the South African commercial hub of Johannesburg on Wednesday. "In parts of Africa, the burden placed on grandparents — especially grandmothers — is overwhelming," said Robert Huber of the United Nations Division for Social Policy and Development.

The campaign trail for Ghana’s general election in December is taking a detour through South Africa this week, with the visit of opposition leader John Evans Atta Mills. Addressing journalists in Johannesburg on Tuesday, the head of the National Democratic Congress sounded upbeat about his prospects in the poll.

"If you see a set of bright, shining lights at night, it’s not a vehicle but a giraffe that got stuck in a pothole in the middle of the road. So, watch out," Zambians used to joke about the state of their roads a few years ago. Zambia, however, is too poor to shoulder the burden of repairing their roads alone. For now then, the responsibility of doing repairs is falling on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad).

Lesotho, surrounded by its giant neighbour, South Africa, is facing a third successive year of food shortages. According to the United Nations World Food Programme, a poor maize harvest earlier this year has meant that the Basotho are in for another hard winter.

"I also saw children by the roadside begging. I don’t know where they slept last night and whether they had dinner last evening," he added. Not too great a distance from this location, however, another reality presented itself: "When I drove further, I saw a different face of South Africa — children living in beautiful houses," observed Jody Kollapen, chairperson of the Human Rights Commission this week.

A sparkling, bright blue cap, and a mask for the nose and mouth await visitors at the main door. Before being let into the building, visitors are also handed a pair of nylon socks to cover their shoes: mandatory attire for touring Africa’s only condom manufacturing firm.

Kenyan civil society activist Edward Oyugi says Africa’s relations with the developed world amount to the continent holding out a begging bowl. But, African leaders insist they have a partnership with wealthy nations. The claim came under discussion again this week during a meeting of the powerful Group of Eight.