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Nelson Mandela, jailed for 27 years for fighting the apartheid regime in South Africa, is an inspiration to millions fighting for freedom and justice around the world.

The Justice for Cleaners campaign at the School of Oriental and African Studies (Soas) won a major victory last week by gaining the London Living Wage for its cleaners.

The next time politicians or the media demand that the West should "sort out Africa", we should remember the attempted coup in Equatorial Guinea in 2004.

The situation in Zimbabwe continued to deteriorate as Socialist Worker went to press.

"Let me thank him for the steadfastness and resolution he has shown in rooting out terrorism in all parts of the world, in working for a Middle East peace settlement, in bringing hope to Africa, in working for a free trade world."Gordon Brown on George Bush

Zimbabwe’s government is sanctioning attacks on the opposition in the run-up to the country’s presidential election on 27 June.

The Harare offices of the International Socialist Organisation (ISO) – The Socialist Workers Party's sister organisation in Zimbabwe – were raided yesterday morning by the police.

Thousands of immigrants, township activists, trade unionists and others took over the streets of Johannesburg, South Africa, last Saturday, carrying placards such as "Xenophobia hurts like apartheid" and "Zimbabwe is my neighbour".

A series of brutal attacks on migrant workers in South Africa in the last two weeks has left dozens dead and forced thousands to flee.

Alexandra township was at the forefront of South Africa’s fight against apartheid. So it is shocking that it is now at the centre of attacks on migrants. But the experience in the townships of 14 years of African National Congress (ANC) government has been the slow removal of hope.

‘It is a tragedy that such attacks are happening in poor working class communities, where the poor are fighting the poor. But there is a clear reason for this. Many in our communities are made to believe that unemployment is caused by foreigners who take jobs in the country – this is simply untrue.

The US-backed occupation of Somalia is finding it increasingly hard to keep control as fighting rages against the Ethiopian army and its allies in the country’s puppet government.