News stories by Ignatius Banda, page 11

The plumes of smoke rising above the dense working class suburbs of Bulawayo are a sign of the environmental impact of Zimbabwe's electricity crisis.

When there are water cuts in Bulawayo the plants in 59-year-old Ntombizodwa Makati’s vegetable garden are still watered, but she and her family go thirsty.

From the rickety old buses that miraculously make long cross-border journeys to the frustrating red tape at the border post, from fending off sexual advances from bus crews and customs officials to losing goods worth thousands of dollars, 28-year-old Irene Moyo has seen it all.

Southern Africa is entering flood season. Governments and policy makers have been challenged to adopt a more preventive approach to disaster management by the Red Cross - what measures are in place?

As the rainy season approaches, and sewage from pit latrines seep further into the Zimbabwe's groundwater, Irene Ngubeni will be at risk as the country faces another possible cholera outbreak.

Football was never a ticket to fabulous wealth in Zimbabwe, at least not for players who stayed in the country. But the economic situation has made it ever harder to play simply for the pride and pleasure of pulling on local team colours.

The unresolved issues plaguing Zimbabwe’s coalition government are set to drag on after Southern African leaders once again failed to call President Robert Mubage to book for reneging on his coalition promises.

Southern African leaders have once again failed the people of Zimbabwe by making a show of support for the country’s long-serving dictator.

Dorothy Tembo wears a look that tells a story of years of hard work. She dotes over her grandchildren and enjoys talking about the past. A keen observer of the history happening around her, she easily narrates Zimbabwe's trials and tribulations from the pre-independence years to the present, of which she says she has never seen so much death and suffering.

Before, Zimbabwean families would take their ill relatives to rural clinics where medication was readily able and payment plans lenient. But now they are taking them there to die.