ZWNEWS.com "Harare - Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has awarded civil servants with big pay rises ahead of a general election on March 29, state media reported Wednesday. 'Just yesterday (Monday), I was signing a new salary schedule of big salaries for teachers and civil servants,' Mugabe said at a campaign rally in the southern district of Inyathi, The Herald newspaper reported. 'I hope they will be happy because we have worked out very good salaries.' He did not elaborate on the increases, saying respective ministers would make their announcements. Zimbabwe's public sector has been plagued by strikes in recent months with workers pushing for pay increases that can keep up with a galloping inflation rate which now stands at over 100,000 percent."
The World Cup football tournament kicks off in one week, and host South Africa is busy putting on the finishing touches. But not everyone is looking forward to the tournament. Authorites in cities including Cape Town are being accused of clearing the poor from the streets - to create a good impression for visiting fans. Al Jazeera's Haru Mutasa has more.