DURBAN, 8 Sep 2005 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - This weekend, thousands of Zulu maidens will make their way to Nongoma in northern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province, to participate in 'Umhlanga', the annual reed dance ceremony celebrating virginity.

The traditional gathering takes place in the wake of controversy surrounding the soon-to-be-outlawed testing of virgins: the Children's Bill was approved by parliament in July 2005 and, if passed by the National Council of Provinces, the legislation will impose an outright ban on the custom.

Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini lashed out at the government, saying he was opposed to the ban, while traditionalists and other groups vowed to defy the law.

MONROVIA, 8 Sep 2005 (IRIN) - Liberia stands to lose millions of dollars of aid and billions of dollars of debt relief if it does not sign up to a plan to wipe out rampant corruption in the war-scarred West African nation, donors warned on Thursday.

Authorities have been haggling with the international community for months over the so-called Governance and Economic Management Assistance Programme (GEMAP), designed to ensure funds do not end up in the pockets of politicians but go towards approving the lot of Liberia's three million population who suffered 14 years of civil war.

And with just over a month to go before crunch elections, the International Contact Group -- made up of Western and African diplomats that helped forge a 2003 peace deal -- spelled out the stark consequences if no deal was struck.

HARARE, 8 Sep 2005 (IRIN) - Informal traders affected by Zimbabwe's recent urban cleanup campaign have welcomed government efforts to restore their livelihoods, but say greater effort is needed if the country's lucrative informal sector is to recover.

A demolition drive, which began in May, uprooted thousands of informal traders in the country's urban centres. Months later many are returning to the cities but complain that strict new regulations governing how they do business is hampering their ability to make a living.

"While we applaud the government for giving us another chance, there is something wrong with the way in which authorities are handling the issue of re-establishing flea [informal] markets," said James Taruziva, a trader at Mupedzanhamo market in the capital, Harare.

CAIRO, 7 Sep 2005 (IRIN) - Egypt witnessed its first ever contested presidential elections on Wednesday, with more than 32 million eligible voters choosing a leader from 10 candidates.

Previously, the parliament, which is dominated by the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), approved a sole candidate who was voted for through a national referendum.

As a result the incumbent Hosni Mubarak has remained in power for 24 years and observers expected him to win again.

The three front runners for the election are Mubarak of the ruling NDP, Ayman Nour of the newly established Ghadd (tomorrow) Party and Noman Goma of the long established Wafd (delegation) Party.

DAKAR, 7 Sep 2005 (IRIN) - The Chad-Cameroon oil project flouts international human rights guarantees, placing financial interests above the concerns of local populations along the 650-kilometre pipeline, Amnesty International said on Wednesday.

The governments of Chad and Cameroon have signed agreements with oil companies that could force them to pay cash penalties for disrupting operation of the 650-kilometre pipeline, even if they are intervening to protect human rights, Amnesty says.

“You can’t have the protection of people’s rights and needs be left to the good will of companies,” Sarah Green, spokesperson for Amnesty International UK, said by phone from the group’s headquarters in London.

JOHANNESBURG, 7 Sep 2005 (IRIN/PLUSNEWS) - HIV/AIDS has accounted for huge reversals in human development in Southern Africa, which could impact on the region meeting some of the UN's poverty-slashing Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), according to a new report.

The UN's '2005 Human Development Report' released on Wednesday noted that 12 of the 18 countries that have suffered development reversals between 1990 and 2003 were in sub-Saharan Africa, with Southern Africa "hit hardest".

South Africa has plunged by 35 places to 120 on the global Human Development Index (HDI), Zimbabwe by 23 and Botswana 21 places. Reversals were also noted for Lesotho, Swaziland and Zambia. The HDI, which ranks 167 countries, focuses on three measurable dimensions of human development - living a long and healthy life; being educated; and having a decent standard of living.