Use of data

A head of the 2012 16 Days of Activism campaign period, The Nation online newspaper published a story about an increase of intimate partner violence (IPV) among women living with HIV/Aids in Malawi. This media highlight provides a gender analysis of the story by critiquing the article’s perspective, its sources and language used among other things.

The government has opened up opportunities for thousands of women, particularly in rural areas, with one of its youth programmes absorbing a number of unemployed rural women into labour market. Minster of Rural Development and Land reform Gugile Nkwinti said on Friday that up to 7000 women were now employed through the national you rural service corps.

A nigerian man who married two local women in four days before the same magistrate is awaiting deportation after he was convicted of bigamy and perjury. Henry Inedoro (46), who was deported in 1998 using the name George Asinayo before sneaking back into the country, appeared before Harare magistrate Mr Tendai Mahwe. He pleaeded guilt to bigamy and perjury and the magistrate fined him US$100 or 20 days in prison coupled with deportation after payment of the fine or jail term.

Statistics indicate that domestic is a major problem in Zimbabwe with a total of 3141 domestic violence cases already reported in the first quarter of 2012. Government in 2007 set up the Anti-Domestic Violence Council. Deputy features editor Roselyne Sachiti (RS) spoke with the Anti-Domestic Violence Council chairperson Mr Kelvin Hazangwi (KH) to find out what the council has been doing to lower the statistics

Zimbabwe has recorded the highest condom usage in the world over the last five years, according to the Zimbabwe Demographic Health Survey of 2011. The development has contributed to the reduction of the HIV prevalence rate in the country. But the three Matabeleland provinces – Bulawayo, Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South – remain at the top in HIV and Aids prevalence compared to other provinces. This emerged during the HIV and Aids capacity building training workshop for journalists, which began in Kwekwe on Wednesday. Presenting the overview of Zimbabwe’s response to HIV and Aids, National Aids Council (NAC) monitoring and evaluation director Mr Amon Mpofu commended Zimbabweans for adopting condom usage. “The usage of condoms is very high in Zimbabwe compared to other countries in the world. This is because in terms of distribution of condoms the country has adopted an intense distribution system through the National Family Planning Council which is working with different community care groups,” said Mr Mpofu. “We also have partners such as Population Services International (PSI), which has facilitated the selling of both female and male condoms in every shop, hotels and other places. This partly explains why the country has experienced a sharp decline in HIV and Aids prevalence rate.”

One of the 28 targets in the 2008 SADC Protocol on Gender and Development is that “State Parties shall endevour that, by 2015, at least 50% of decision making positions in public and private sectors are held by women…” South Africa is a signatory to the Protocol. With only three years to the Protocol timeline, a recent research study in South Africa- which focused on the corporate sector – has indicated that the target is far from being achieved. What could be underlying causes for the underrepresentation of women? This media highlight analyses a story that reported on the low representation of women in the corporate sector.

Politicians put themselves up for election in order to exercise power to control the levers of the State or just to control the apparatus of State governance. What then happens when a revolution has taken place like it did in the Middle East? Those politicians who were marginalised offer themselves to the electorate. But the electorate is of two minds whether to give absolute power to the newcomers or to the experienced politicians to maintain a balance of power and stability. In Egypt, there were about nine presidential candidates, moderates as well as hardline Islamists. The electorate preferred two candidates, one a moderate Islamist and the other a secular former army general who served as prime minister under the old regime of Hosni Mubarak. The Egyptian electorate has been given a clear choice, either to go for the new order that may be Islamic or a new president, although from the old regime. What may be in the minds of the electorate could be that they want stability to be preserved since the Islamists control parliament after securing the majority of MPs.

Divorced men are more likely to remarry after a divorce than women according to data from statistics SA. Johannesburg psychologist Asiphe Ndlela says many women are hesitant to remarry after a divorce especially soon after the dissolution of the marriage is finalized.

North West police have raised their concern about the increasing number of rape cases in the province. This was after 10 rape cases were reported at police stations over the past few days.

Something raw is happening behind the scenic beauty of Malawi’s Chikangwa forest- scores of men are queuing for sex with a single woman in a nondescript shack, most times without a condom.