In 2009, 37 poor families won the right to receive permanent houses in terms of an order issued by the Durban High Court. The families must now return to court to force the eThekwini Municipality to obey the order. The Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (SERI) and Abahlali baseMjondolo (ABM) are suing the Mayor of eThekwini on behalf the families, who now live in the Richmond Farm Transit Camp near KwaMashu, Durban.

The United Nations, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) must be reformed, according to an ANC discussion document on international relations. 'The current global governance regimes remain untransformed and ill-prepared to respond to the systemic challenges that are arising,' the ANC said in new policy papers.

The ANC Youth League will want 'radical change' even without its president, leader of the league Julius Malema told radio station Metro FM in an interview on Monday night. Malema was expelled from the ANC last week for bringing the party into disrepute and sowing division in its ranks. 'I've not stabbed a person. I've not been charged with rape. I've not been charged for corruption. I've not been charged for organising factional meetings, and benefiting my own family. I'm not charged about those things. I'm charged about what has been written in the resolutions of the youth league.' Malema added the new league president would have to continue with the resolutions already adopted.

Cosatu is expecting a massive turnout for its national strike on Wednesday, and even hopes organisations outside of its network may spontaneously join in - but the union group has been wary of talking numbers, saying the dual nature of Wednesday's action makes turnout even more unpredictable than is usual in such actions. Based on discussions around labour broking within Nedlac, however, it said it believes unions not aligned with it may join in, as might taxpayer groups concerned about road tolls.

White jelly forming on the top of boiled water, sickness due to the water, land stained black. This Mail and Guardian reports on the devastating effects of acid mine drainage on the town of Carolina and how the town's residents are suffering because of a polluted water supply.

The ANC released its policy discussion documents in Johannesburg on Monday, saying it would take the country into its 'second transition'. Land reform and adjustments to 'elements of the Constitution' were two of the discussion points mentioned. 'The recommendation in this document expresses the view that the current willing-buyer, willing-seller model tends to distort the land market through inflating the prices of land earmarked for restitution, and this has the dual effect of making land reform expensive and delays the process of increasing access of the poor to land.'

'This joint submission examines the gendered aspects of sexual violence in correctional centres, how rape shapes offenders understandings of gender and sexuality, and how it fuels a cycle of violence both in and out of prisons. We also underscore the connection between HIV and sexual violence in prisons, and highlight the specific needs of male survivors of sexual assault, who are largely invisible in our society.'

At least five Somali-owned shops in Khayelitsha were forced to close recently as the Zanokhanyo Business Association enforced a 2008 agreement that no new foreign-owned shops should operate in the township following the May 2008 xenophobic attacks. The two Somali-owned shops in Harare that stayed open were looted. David Mohamed, owner of Brothers shop in Harare, said he lost all his stock to the thieves.

While genuine historic commitment to transformation and upliftment by South Africa, and the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in particular, went 'without saying', it was not clear that the country remained on the path to 'achieving the vision for which so many struggled', said Archbishop Thabo Makgoba.vSpeaking at his inauguration as UWC Chancellor, Makgoba said the fact that economic disparities in South Africa 'remain vast, and are even growing', was 'truly immoral' and a 'scandal'.

Last year alone, 376,000 people with HIV started antiretroviral medication - over 100 000 more than the previous year. Sadly, during that same year up to 450 000 people were infected with HIV, mostly due to 'the lack of a co-ordinated and effective prevention response'. These are some of the issues raised by the Health Systems Trust’s SA Health Review 2011, which was launched recently in Pretoria.

Mothers, babies and newly diagnosed HIV patients are receiving more of the services they need but progress comes at a cost, according to a new report that predicts a funding shortfall for HIV treatment in South Africa. On 23 February, the Health Systems Trust released the latest versions of its annual District Health Barometer and South African Health Review. Although in its sixth year of publication, this year's barometer is the first to include data on early infant HIV testing for babies born to HIV-positive mothers and shows that about half of all babies born to HIV-positive mothers are now being tested for the virus at six weeks of age, an important step to ensuring they access the early HIV treatment recommended for all children younger than one under national guidelines.

More than seven months overdue, the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria grant will finally be released to key South African AIDS organizations that have been struggling to survive. Some were on the verge of shutting down. The Global Fund released US$7,106,426.91 to the South African National Treasury on 6 February, the same day seven of the grant's sub-recipients delivered an open letter to Minister of Health, Aaron Motsoaledi, pleading for intervention to bring the Fund's 'life-threatening delays' to an end.

Government is going ahead with plans to build nuclear power stations - a scrap by local and international companies to get a slice of the staggering R300-billion tender. National Treasury this week revealed the rollout - which will see the construction of the plants along the country's coastline - would ensure a supply of an extra 9600 megawatts of electricity. The stations are expected to be fully operational by 2029 andsignalling will be the largest infrastructure programme undertaken by government.

ANC Youth League president Julius Malema has reiterated the league's stance that it would ignore any suspensions the ANC handed down to him or his fellow leaders in the league, as such sentences would amount to political persecution. The controversial youth leader's statements are the latest in the ongoing battle between the youth league and the ruling party after Malema and several other leaders were suspended by the ANC's national disciplinary committee (NDC) in November after being found guilty of sowing division within the ANC.

Following controversial utterances made by the Zulu monarch King Goodwill Zwelithini during a speech at the KwaZulu Natal legislature opening, there have been concerns raised about the implications this may have on what are already strained relations between South Africans and foreign nationals, particularly Congolese nationals. He was quoted in the Sowetan newspaper as saying: 'I understand that South Africa is a democratic country and welcomes people from different countries who have run away from their countries for different reasons. As a result, South Africa is home to many Africans but I must express my disappointment at the behaviour of these people.' He said this in reference to the recent marches by the Congolese Freedom and Justice Fighters living in South Africa who marched to the Union Building; ANC’s headquarters, Luthuli House; and parliament in Cape Town to show their dissatisfaction with the South African government's involvement or lack of in the Congolese elections processes.

While welcoming aspects of South Africa's new budget announced on 22 February, civil society grouping SECTION 27 says it remains concerned about aspects of the health budget. Even though the health budget has increased, SECTION 27 fears this could be undone by mismanagement, corruption, wasteful expenditure and a lack of capacity for implementation. Amongst other concerns, it notes that increases in allocations for HIV and AIDS programmes will not result in the expected expansion of these programmes unless problems relating to staffing, infrastructure and the payment of service providers are resolved.

The Lesbian and Gay Equality Project (LGEP) has described the Traditional Courts Bill as 'highly anti-democratic, unconstitutional and discriminatory'. The organisation says it is 'extremely concerned' that the Bill puts rural women in a discriminatory position. 'The Bill basically opens the door for women not to approach the customary court but be represented by a man. Women’s rights to equality before the law is compromised in this situation which make it worse for lesbian women since it is the general knowledge that customary law is not favorable to people who have intimate relations with people of the same sex,' said LGEP in a press statement.

The colonial ‘empty land’ theory has no historical credence. It stirs very deep emotions in the hearts of African people who were dispossessed of their land at gunpoint and are still dispossessed – hence rampant poverty among them, whether they be Zulu Africans or Khoi Africans.

South Africa as a powerhouse on the continent expected to take the AU Commission Chairperson’s job. But the outcome of the election indicates that opposition to Ms Dlamini-Zuma was intractable.

A democratic government must have the capacity to deliver decent services that meet basic needs to enable the Constitutional guarantee of dignity and to confront the epic threat of climate change.