Lazarus Sauti

Lazarus Sauti Africa is known for its abundant resources. It is richly endowed with a variety of natural resources including oil, diamonds, gold, iron, cobalt, uranium, copper, bauxite, silver, petroleum and cocoa beans, woods and tropical fruits. A good number of these rich natural resources-endowed countries are found in the Southern African Development Community region. To show that the continent is resource endowed, five countries dominate Africa’s upstream oil production. Together they account for 85 percent of the continent’s oil production and are, in order of decreasing output, Nigeria, Libya, Algeria, Egypt and Angola. Other oil-producing countries are Gabon, Congo, Cameroon, Tunisia, Equatorial Guinea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Cote d’Ivoire. Exploration is also taking place in a number of other countries that aim to increase their output or become first time producers. Included in this list are Chad, Sudan, Namibia, South Africa and Madagas...

Lazarus Sauti Rwanda President Paul Kagame believes information communication technologies (ICTs) are critical to Africa’s future. In his words, the importance of ICTs in shaping the socio-economic transformation of nations within and across Africa cannot be overstated. In sub-Saharan Africa, he says, information and communication technologies can drastically advance economic growth and improve standards of living. While opening the Zimbabwe Public Sector Information and Communication Technology forum in Harare recently, which was running under the theme “Leveraging Information and Communication Technologies for Economic Development”, Zimbabwe’s Vice-President Joice Mujuru also said information and communication technologies play a pivotal role in advancing economic growth. “Information and communication technologies have become the foundation of every sector in the economy. Thus, they play a critical role in advancing economic growth and poverty reduction,” she said. ...

Lazarus Sauti Masturbation Masturbation refers to the stimulation or manipulation of one’s genitals, especially to orgasm; sexual gratification. Masturbation = Imagination + Activity. To masturbate is to imagine: physically (Mokokoma Mokhonoana, Author and Social Critic).   Causes which incite young men to undertake masturbation: Bad company; peer pressure. House servants also incite young boys to this vice by playing with their sexual organs. Pornography; and excessive use of stimulating diets such as meat, eggs, tea, etc.   Side-effects of Masturbation Fatigue - feeling tired all the time. Lower back pain and testicular pain. Sexual disorder; soft or weak erections; and premature ejaculation. The person dislikes any company and activities and rather likes to sit in seclusion and suffers. Shame and guilt and anxiety. These effects can manifest into things like headaches, back...

Lazarus Sauti Álvaro Sobrinho, Chairperson of the Planet Earth Institute, an international non-governmental organisation and charity working for the “scientific independence of Africa” believes science is enjoying a renaissance on the African continent but warned that African countries need to deepen their commitments and broaden their horizons if the continent is to fulfil its promise. This commitment, Sobrinho says, should take in the establishment and promotion of science centres as they are vibrant hubs of social-economic development in any country. Science centres can promote a positive view of science, and they can help policy decision makers on the African continent to engage young people in important science-based issues that cross political, economic, social, technological and geographic boundaries. Unfortunately, across Sub-Saharan Africa, South Africa with a respectable 35 science centres is one of just two countries with science centres ‑ the other is Namibi...

Lazarus Sauti Tsitsi Munyoro (not her real name) is an 18 year old girl from Kuwadzana, a high density suburb in Zimbabwe. She is staying with her mother. Unfortunately, she is not going to school because she is heavily pregnant. Like most teenage girls, she did not plan to get pregnant earlier in her life, but find herself in this predicament because of peer pressure, among other factors. Another case is that of Lindiwe Katongo, a 14 year old girl from Chama Village, Zambia. She was impregnated by her 17 year old classmate. She is at home whilst her boyfriend is attending classes. Likewise, a teenager girl, Zanele Tshuma, from Mpumalanga Province in South Africa was impregnated by an older man, three times older than her. Sadly, the culprit coerced the young girl to mention a school boy as being responsible to avoid a possible jail term. These are few cases of teen pregnancies within and across the SADC region. Sadly, more victims are girls who are 14 years or young...

Lazarus Sauti Due to expansion of economy in the world, labour is highly needed to generate capital and to generate this capital and fulfil economic needs, some economic systems are using modern technologies. However, not all economic systems and enterprises are capable of using advanced technology in the productions for higher productivity. As a result, children enter the risk of being used as cheap labour since they are vulnerable due to many factors such as poverty and abuse. To unravel child labour, the International Labour Organisation defines it as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity. It refers to work that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children; and interferes with their schooling. “It is worth to note that not all work done by children should be classified as child labour and needs to be eliminated. Whether or not particular forms of “work” can be called “child labour” dep...

Lazarus Sauti Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni recently signed an anti-gay bill and according to Jackee Budesta Batanda, an independent journalist and author living in Kampala, Uganda, many Ugandans see the bill as preserving African culture. In an article “Uganda’s anti-gay bill outs the country as anti-human rights”, Batanda wrote: “ Museveni’s decision was greeted with celebrations across Uganda, where many people believed he was (also) snubbing the west. “Attention was given to the United States of America president Barack Obama’s call on the Ugandan leader not to sign the bill, which would infringe on the human rights of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community in Uganda, and with threats to reconsider America’s relationship with Uganda. However, in full glare of the world media Museveni signed the bill – the first time he has done so in the public eye. “Consensus among many Ugandans was that the president was helping to preserve African culture...

Lazarus Sauti Agnes Hakata (not her real name) is a 15 year old girl from Hwedza. While her peers get ready to go to school each morning, she has to stay behind to prepare breakfast for her ageing husband. Sadly, like most teenage marriages, her marriage is not legally registered but is customarily recognised. As a result, Agnes is expected to live as a housewife. The teenager’s case is not unique in most – if not all areas – in Zimbabwe. Most teenage girls in this country are affected with this cancer and unfortunately, most of these marriages are arranged. Those who are supposed to take care of these teenagers are in actual fact exposing them to vultures that want to prey on them. Without doubt, lack of access to reproductive health information supported with services is also leading teenagers into early sex. Sex education has not been given required attention in schools while parents fear to talk to their children about sex and reproductive health. The United Nat...

Lazarus Sauti Thomas Hughes, executive director of Article 19, an organisation with a specific focus on the promotion of freedom of information, says quality, current and accessible information is crucial to establishing the scope and nature of development challenges faced by any country. He also believes that this information empowers people to hold their leaders accountable and to effectively participate in decisions that affect them. Quality information, adds Hughes, plays a vital role in safeguarding development and it makes the right of access to information a fundamental and universal human right. Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” This right to receive and impart information takes in freedom to access pa...