Kristin Palitza - Freelance writer - correspondent

Rebuilding Zimbabwe's health system

Kristin Palitza — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:04:29 +0000

Inter Press Service | 19 June 2013

By Kristin Palitza

MASVINGO, Zimbabwe, Jun 19 2013 (IPS) - A newborn baby lets out a feeble cry as midwife Anna Mungara tends to a small wound on its head, at the provincial hospital in Masvingo, a town in southeast Zimbabwe.

With utmost care, Mungara cleans the cut, wraps the baby in two sets of warm blankets and makes cooing sounds to soothe him.

Mali July elections a "bad idea" - analysts

Kristin Palitza — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 16:36:43 +0000

dpa | 14 June 2013

By Kristin Palitza

Cape Town (dpa) - Although elections are essential to restoring democratic rule in Mali, analysts doubt that the troubled West African nation will be ready for national polls by the end of July.

“Holding elections on July 28 is a bad idea. They are likely to be a total failure and could result in chaos and violence,” Abdoulaye Niang, an independent analyst based in the capital Bamako, said.

Africa’s richest man on how we can all be rich

Kristin Palitza — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 07:12:06 +0000

FORBES | June 2013

FORBES Africa caught up with the richest man in Africa to hear how he plans to make Africa pay for itself.

By Kristin Palitza

It’s a fair question: If Africans don’t invest on the continent, why should anyone else? There is at least one entrepreneur, who says he will do whatever he can to change this. Cement tycoon Aliko Dangote, founder and chair of the Nigerian Dangote Group, promises to make first Nigeria and then the rest of the continent

How to Create a South African Society that Rewards Hard Work

Kristin Palitza — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 06:55:04 +0000

Inter Press Service | 23 Feb 2013

Kristin Palitza interviews HLUMELO BIKO, South African investment banker, author and son of well-known anti-apartheid hero Steve Biko

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Feb 23 2013 (IPS) - In his new book, “The Great African Society – A Plan for a Nation Gone Astray”, Hlumelo Biko, the son of late Black Consciousness leader Steve Biko, says that if nothing changes in South Africa, the country will become engulfed by corruption, crime, social decay, hopelessness and anger.

Saving Tanzania’s Poorest Children

Kristin Palitza — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 06:41:36 +0000

IPS | 13 Dec 2012

by Kristin Palitza

DAR ES SALAAM, Dec 13 2012 (IPS) - Half asleep, Anuary lies exhausted on his bed in Amana Hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s capital. His mother, Mariam Saidi, sits on the edge of his mattress, staring blankly out of the window. Every now and then, she turns to wipe her 18-month-old son’s forehead.

Cool Germania: Why Berlin Is a Haven of Hip

Kristin Palitza — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 11:36:15 +0000

TIME | 25 Oct 2012

By Kristin Palitza

Berlin is well known for its vibrant underground music scene, but the sheer number of venues can be daunting. So is the fact that the city’s trendiest clubs are a constantly moving target — often illegal and opening in an abandoned building or basement for a month, a week or simply a single night.

Q&A: Swapping Children for Protection in Central African Republic

Kristin Palitza — Sun, 02 Sep 2012 16:37:07 +0000

Inter Press Service | 28 Aug 2012

Kristin Palitza interviews ISHMAEL BEAH, former Sierra Leonean child soldier, human rights activist and best-selling author

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Aug 28 2012 (IPS) - The protection of children remains critical in the Central African Republic, where parents willingly give their children to armed groups in exchange for protection and services.

Feisty and Cheeky – a Woman with no Regrets

Kristin Palitza — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 11:10:55 +0000

Forbes Africa | Aug 2012

Wendy Appelbaum, daughter of Liberty Group mogul Sir Donald Gordon, has a claim to being Africa’s richest woman. It has been one heck of a life for a feisty woman who hated failure and was not afraid to fight her father in the boardroom.

By Kristin Palitza

She is often portrayed as a tough and ruthless businesswoman who doesn’t take prisoners. But face-to-face, Wendy Appelbaum quickly reveals she is anything but. Open, warm and witty, she makes clear that being rich comes with a heavy responsibility – that giving back to society.

After Ten Years of Peace, "Angola’s Future is Dark"

Kristin Palitza — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 11:59:36 +0000

Inter Press Service | 4 Apr 2012

By Kristin Palitza

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Apr 4, 2012 (IPS) -Angola is celebrating 10 years of peace on Apr. 4. Since the end of its 27-year-long civil war in 2002, the country's economy has prospered thanks to oil. But experts fear that parliamentary elections later this year could return the country to violence and

In the Twilight of His Rule, Mugabe Wants All the Marbles Back

Kristin Palitza — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 13:32:20 +0000

TIME | 26 March 2012

by Kristin Palitza

Human rights campaigners are warning of rising repression in Zimbabwe as 88-year-old President Robert Mugabe pushes for another election to further extend his 32 years in power, despite being seriously ill with prostate cancer. "We have grave concerns about the recent increase in political repression," says Human Rights Watch Africa deputy director Leslie Lefkow.