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A SOUTH AFRICAN instant messaging network which has often been vilified for aiding drug pushers is now being used to provide counselling for drug addicts and people with HIV.

MXit is an extremely popular peer-to-peer network in South Africa that runs on cellphones. People use it to chat to each other, and to connect to internet-based chat services such as Google Talk. MXit has 12.5 million users across the country, far more than the 4.5 million who have access to broadband.

The network’s popularity has meant drug pushers have used it to…