News stories by Teldah Mawarire

HARARE, Zimbabwe, Jul 27 (IPS) - Teldah Mawarire is a campaigns and advocacy officer with global civil society alliance, CIVICUS.

For many Zimbabwean voters, casting their ballots on July 30 is sure to be a somewhat surreal experience. For the first time since the country's independence, the ever-present face of Robert Mugabe will not be staring back at them on the ballot paper.

JOHANNESBURG, May 03 (IPS) - Teldah Mawarire is an Advocacy and Campaigns Officer with global civil society, CIVICUS. Grant Clark is the organisation's Senior Media Advisor.   This article is part of a series of stories and op-eds launched by IPS on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day on May 3.In African countries where journalists are targeted with killings and beatings while traditional news outlets have been muzzled by governments and other actors unhappy with criticism, bloggers and social media users have become the new independent media by providing much-needed coverage, commentary and analysis.

JOHANNESBURG, Apr 05 (IPS) - South Africa celebrated human rights month this March with President Zuma recalling the "heroism of our people who stood up for their rights." However, this same month which commemorates the sacrifices of those who took part in the struggle against apartheid and those who died in the Sharpeville Massacre of 21 March 1960 was not a happy one for today's civil society activists and organisations engaged in defending human rights. Two shocking incidents raise troubling questions for the future of civil society in the country.

JOHANNESBURG, Nov 10 (IPS) - Europe is in the throes of a refugee crisis and it's not difficult to see that it does not quite know how to respond to it. By mid-October more than 600,000 people had reached Europe by sea.