Here the South African fisherwomen's association, drawn largely from some of the poorest townships, has 75 members aged 28-52.

Sure, the surplus from her neighborhood was supposed to help put sewers and paved roads in poor townships.

An example is the teachers' training center near here in Alexandra, one of South Africa's poorest black townships.

But much more in need of corporate partners are schools in poor rural townships or working-class metropolitan areas.

One of the poorest townships, Alexandra, is located in this border area, to the east of Sandton.

As students shuttle between poor black townships and wealthier white suburbs, some feel they belong nowhere at all.

But in neighbouring poor townships, many speak only Zulu and believe in a spiritual link with their ancestors.

Even the poorest of township poor look down on hostel dwellers as outsiders, while those inside the hostels band together to combat social rejection.

Such battles are daily occurrences on Johannesburg commuter trains and in poor African townships.

But his constituents in the poor black townships of Bulawayo want something radical, like a long general strike.