Concerns around farm evictions, reports of human rights abuse on farms, and legal access for farm workers, dominated the Foundation for Human Rights (FHR) workshop on 18 April 2008 in Pretoria. Titled ‘Farm Dwellers Legal Access Crisis Workshop’, the event brought together representatives from NGOs and government to discuss the difficulties farm dwellers face when accessing legal services.

Political Studies at Wits University and the Women’s Rights and Citizenship Programme at IDRC are pleased to announce a Research and Training Institute on Women’s Rights and Citizenship, to be held at Wits University from 4-16 August 2008. The aim of the Institute is to deepen the capacity of researchers to deploy feminist theories and methodologies in applied, policy-oriented research. The deadline for applications is Monday May 5 2008.

Antiretroviral therapy should be recommended to all people with HIV who have CD4 cell counts below 350 cells/mm3 regardless of whether they have symptoms of HIV disease or not, according to new guidelines from the Southern African HIV Clinicians’ Society published in the Summer 2008 edition of the Society’s journal.

Skin-to-Skin: Challenging Textile Art opens at the Standard Bank Gallery in Johannesburg on 16 April 2008, running until 10 May. Curated by Fiona Kirkwood, the exhibition reflects South Africa's multi-cultural identity and unique history through diverse work by artists using textile-related concepts, techniques and materials.

South Africa’s transition to democracy in 1994 created new possibilities for economic policy. Economic liberalization brought sustained, if unspectacular, growth that reversed the long decline in per capita incomes, but left its scars in much job shedding associated with business becoming internationally competitive. Using poverty estimates from a combination of sources, this WIDER study demonstrates that poverty nevertheless declined quite substantially after the turn of the century.

Over the past month, the Delft-Symphony Pavement Dwellers and their elected Anti-Eviction Campaign leadership have been working hand-in-hand to improve the lives of residents. While it may be an exaggeration to assume (as was reported recently in the Cape Argus) that we live here on the pavement in harmony all the time, there does exist a strong sense of camaraderie among residents and a common vision of the type of world we are fighting for.

Susan Shabangu, the South African deputy security minister, has caused a political uproar after she said police should shoot-to-kill when confronting armed criminals. In remarks broadcast on local television and radio on Wednesday, Shabangu said that if threatened, police should "kill the bastards".

Social grants are out of the reach of many of the poorest South Africans because they cannot afford to get the necessary identity documents from the Department of Home Affairs. Some of the biggest barriers are money for transport to the Home Affairs offices or to pay for documents they needed to get ID books, such as baptismal and doctors’ certificates, photographs and photocopies.

The Internet Service Providers' Association of South Africa (ISPA) has begun a series of computer literacy training courses in the five provinces of South Africa. According to ISPA the Free State, Limpopo, North West, KwaZulu Natal and Mpumalanga are the targeted provinces for the training. Chairperson of ISPA's Teacher Training Working Group Bernie Amler explained that the latest round of skills training will boost the practical knowledge of 121 educators from 13 schools and represents one of ISPA's biggest investments in South Africa.

You can contribute to building South African philanthropy by nominating a philanthropist for the Inyathelo Philanthropy Awards 2008. If you, or anyone you know, has made a remarkable contribution to social change by giving money, time and energy then send in a nomination! Join us in celebrating South African philanthropy and in recognizing individual philanthropists who, through their financial giving, have made a real difference for social change. Deadline for nominations is 16 july 2008.

The International Conference on e-Learning (ICEL-2008) invites researchers, practitioners and academics to present their research findings, work in progress, case studies and conceptual advances in areas of work where education and technology intersect. The conference brings together varied groups of people with different perspectives, experiences and knowledge in one location. It aims to help practitioners find ways of putting research into practice and researchers to gain an understanding of real-world problems, needs and aspirations.

How can work in the humanities be a concrete political tool? How can the knowledge of the humanities be mobilized in socially revolutionary ways? This presentation will reflect on the state of the humanities in Chile and other countries in the process of democratic consolidation and will analyse two cases. The first is the collective book writing of Hilando en la Memoria the first anthology of Mapuche women poets. And the second is the work on a Chilean national icon, 1945 literature Nobel laureate Gabriela Mistral, to produce knowledge and dialogue on gender, sexualities, the body, memory, and Human Rights.

The Gender and Development Unit are collaborating on the development of an online workshop on 'Writing for Publication in Peer Reviewed Journals on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, Gender and Sexuality'. The aim is to assist experts in the field to write and publish academic papers in leading international peer-reviewed journals.

EISA Johannesburg has a vacancy for a Library and Publications Clerk, reporting to the Senior Librarian and Publications Officer in the Library and Publications Unit.

After months of sporadic xenophobic attacks elsewhere in South Africa, a series of brutal assaults on foreigners in makeshift settlements on the outskirts of the capital has galvanized government and private organizations into action. The mob attacks last month on foreigners in Atteridgeville – everyone from refugees and asylum seekers to South Africans born overseas – left several people dead and large numbers of houses looted and burned.

Another hospital breakout in South Africa by drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) patients desperate to spend the holidays with their families has some public health experts questioning whether forced isolation is either the most effective or humane way to treat such patients.

All charges against the Kennedy 6 have been dropped. The Kennedy 6 were arrested on a clearly trumped up murder charge on 21 March 2007 after a well known criminal died in police custody. While in custody they were assaulted and an attempt was made, by Senior Superintendent Glen Nayager, to force them to chant anti-Abahlali slogans. They refused.

Nearly 20,000 South Africans have been displaced by mining giant Anglo American in its search for platinum, a BBC File on 4 investigation has found. It was also shown evidence the UK-based firm had polluted water sources and scores of miners had been killed.

Over the years, many Somali refugees in South Africa have achieved substantial independence and self-sufficiency without the assistance of the UN refugee agency. These skilled traders have relied on cultural and religious ties and networks, business savvy, determination and single-mindedness to establish businesses and ensure their communities function on clearly formulated lines.

South Africa has by far the worst TB prevalence rate in the world, with almost 1000 South Africans out of every 100 000 living with the disease in 2006. This is according to the Global TB report released in Geneva yesterday (Monday 16th March), based mainly on 2006 statistics supplied to the World Health Organisation by over 200 countries.