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Introduction Largely driven by the extractive industries, gross domestic product (GDP) growth within certain African economies continues to rank among the world’s highest; the continent possesses 10 percent of the world’s oil reserves, 40 percent of its gold ore, and no less than 95 percent of platinum group metals. Extractive resources account for almost one quarter of Africa’s GDP. About 3.5 billion people live in countries rich in oil, gas or minerals. But all too often these resources have become a source of conflict rather than opportunity. Many of these countries also suffer from poverty, corruption, and conflict stemming from weak governance. Non-renewable mineral resources play a dominant role in 81 countries, which collectively account for a quarter of world GDP, half of the w...

By Charles Kautare  “Pregnant woman dies of negligence at Parirenyatwa.” This was one of the most disturbing headlines carried by The Herald on 5 September 2019 as it was reported that a pregnant woman died together with the child at Parirenyatwa Hospital allegedly due to negligence by medical staff manning the maternity ward. It is frightening that the unfortunate incident happened at one of the biggest public hospitals in Zimbabwe.  What then do we make of public health service delivery in a country aiming at becoming an Upper-Middle Income Economy 10 years from now? The story was not only heart-breaking but signaled the extent of inequality in the country’s health sector as no case of any member of the elite cluster was reported to have died at a local hospital due to...

By Angellah Mandoreba The deep inequalities that exist between the rich and poor continue to rage across the globe and have become a cause for concern for the majority of citizens. These inequalities in their different forms and manifestations are driven by a myriad of factors depending on the context in which they exist. Key drivers of inequality range from political, social, economic and even environmental whose influence rests upon the country’s developmental status and policy processes. This short piece seeks to establish how income inequality promotes educational inequalities in Zimbabwe. Income inequality is one of the critical measures to understand the discrepancies between individuals in a given society but it can be best understood when it is linked to how it promotes other i...

By Tassel Bulanda (WaterAid Zambia) WaterAid Zambia and the Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) Coalition Tanzania co-hosted a session during the 2019 SADC People Summit, an event that looked at women empowerment and justice with special emphasis on menstrual hygiene management, female friendly toilets in public places and access to adequate sanitation for people living with disability. The attendance was over whelming as people were eager to learn and understand the issues around female friendly toilets in public places and the MHM services and products. The session was characterised by testimonies, practical exercises and demonstration of the issues discussed. The exercises included; men tied with a wrapper and a pillow to represent a pregnant woman and squatting to use the toilet...

The National Museum of Tanzania has seen the flocking in of people of Southern Africa who convened for the 2019 SADC People Summit from the 13th to 17th of August 2019.The summit which is a platform  for SADC people to share their varied stories of struggle ran under the theme “Rebuilding People’s Movements within Southern Africa’s climate, political and socioeconomic emergencies: Towards radical and democratic alternatives and a just transition.” The theme sets out clearly the main objective of the summit which is to find strategies for building regional solidarity and citizens campaigns for social, environmental and economic justice towards the emancipation of Southern Africa. Giving welcome remarks, Southern African People’s Solidarity Network (SAPSN) Secretariat, Janet Zho...

Illegal sand mining continues in Limpopo. When there is no rain the sand becomes scarce and expensive. When it rains big commercial trucks come to destroy river banks harvesting sand, corroding rivers and disturbing the ecosystem balance. In most cases sand poachers bribe locals to get access to this community resource without permission from the local chief.