Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Africa for the Obama administration’s first serious tour of the continent. Jendayi Frazer, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs under President George W. Bush talks with The Takeaway about the significance of Clinton's visit and the issues she'll confront. Also joining the conversation is Martin Plaut, the BBC's Africa editor.

It's Monday and The Takeaway is handing out a road map to this week's top stories. The House of Representatives is out on August recess, but the Senate is still working on its plan for national health care reform. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is in Africa, visiting seven countries in eleven days. Our guides to this week's news are Martin Plaut, the Africa editor for the BBC, and Chris Hayes, Washington DC editor for The Nation and a fellow at the New America Foundation.

Fifteen years after Nelson Mandela swept to an historic victory to become the first black President of South Africa, today South Africans again head to the polls. As it has for the last fifteen years, once again Nelson Mandela's party, the African National Congress, is expected to win comfortably, and the ANC's Jacob Zuma is expected to become President. But for many, South Africa has not lived up to the dreams of 1994, the year Mandela, one of the great heroes of the anti-apartheid struggle became President and a national unity government was formed. Now, almost 23% of the population is unemployed and the country is plagued with a staggeringly high murder and crime rate. Many blame South Africa's problems on the government and for the first time since 1994, the ANC faces meaningful opposition in this election.

To help paint the scene and provide some background, this morning The Takeaway talks with Andrew Meldrum, Africa Editor of the Global Post in Boston, who spent 27 years in South Africa, and with the BBC’s Africa Editor, Martin Plaut, who’s outside a polling station in a township in Cape Town.

For more on the divided opinion of Jacob Zuma, watch the video below.

Just this morning, the International Criminal Court in The Hague has issued a warrant for the arrest of the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. This is the first warrant ever issued against a sitting head of state and nations neighboring Sudan are nervous about the repercussions. The ICC's warrant could bring al Bashir to trial for his government's actions in Darfur, including seven counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The court did not find enough evidence to bring an indictment on genocide. For more we turn to the BBC's Africa editor Martin Plaut.

For more on the trial of Omar al-Bashir, listen to our earlier interview with the BBC's Karen Allen.

This week, the U.S. is using diplomacy with Pakistan and Afghanistan to battle Islamic extremism, but on another front of that fight, tensions in Somalia boiled over. Today, an Islamist Somali militia has seized control of a town near the border with Ethiopia following days of fighting in the Somali capital of Mogadishu that has left dozens dead and over a hundred injured. Joining us now from London is BBC Africa Editor Martin Plaut.

Since August the Congolese government has been battling rebels led by Laurent Nkunda. The fighting has displaced tens of thousands of people and lefty hundreds dead. This week, the Congolese government joined forces with it's former arch enemy Rwanda in an offensive against the rebels and today the Congolese government is reporting the joint force has arrested the rebel leader Nkunda. For the latest we're joined by the BBC's Martin Plaut.

One of South Africa's most celebrated anti-apartheid campaigners has died at the age of 91. Helen Suzman passed away at her home in Johannesburg. For 13 years, she was the only member of parliament to openly condemn South Africa's whites-only apartheid regime. Here to talk about her life and legacy is BBC Africa editor Martin Plaut.

The Somali president, Abdullahi Yusuf, has announced he's resigning. Mr. Yusuf has come under increasing pressure since he tried to sack the Somali prime minister in a power struggle nearly two weeks ago. BBC's Africa editor, Martin Plaut, joins us now to explain more.

The BBC's Martin Plaut explains the close race in Ghana and a breakaway faction in South Africa.

A cholera epidemic and growing food shortages add to the problems in Zimbabwe.