大象传媒

The country's currency, the rand, has plunged to record lows following Nhlanhla Nene's departure. Not that long ago, South Africa was feted as one of the BRICS - that band of fast-developing economies about to take the world by storm. The 大象传媒's Lerato Mbele reports from Johannesburg on why President Zuma has chosen to replace his finance minister now.

Teenage children working on tobacco farms in the United States face a difficult and dangerous job. And not enough is being done to protect them. That's the view of a new report from the campaign group Human Rights Watch. It says 16 and 17 year old tobacco labourers are being exposed to nicotine, toxic pesticides and extreme heat. And it's making them ill. 17 year old Ana tells of her experience working in tobacco fields in North Carolina. Is this something the industry accepts? We ask the chief executive of the International Tobacco Growers Association.

Africa is a continent rich in precious resources, with fabulous mineral wealth, including copper, diamonds, gold and oil. But, because of a slowing global economy, commodity prices are tumbling - which means those resources are becoming less precious by the day. Now the World Bank has highlighted Zambia as one of Africa's hardest hit countries. We'll hear a report from the 大象传媒's Matthew Davies in Lusaka.

Another African nation which needs to diversify is Uganda. Traditionally its economy has been focused on agriculture, but the internet giant Google recently launched a wi-fi network across the capital, Kampala. It's part of Google's Project Link, which aims to help people in developing countries access cheaper and better Internet. Kampala is the first city in the world where the initiative has gone live. The 大象传媒's Catherine Byaruhanga assesses its impact.

(Picture: Nhlanhla Nene. Credit:Rodger Bosch/AFP/Getty Images)