South Africa

Johannesburg - Transport Minister Ben Martins says the African continent needs an efficient transport system to help it achieve its growth and development objectives.

Nairobi - Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki has declared three days of national mourning beginning on Monday, following a helicopter crash which killed a minister, his deputy and four other officials.

Johannesburg - The Gauteng Health Department has met its deadline to pay off all suppliers by the end of June this year.

Pretoria - The Department of Basic Education must develop a policy for the standardisation of the procurement and distribution of Learner Teacher Support Material (LTSM).

Pretoria - The fight against crime continues despite negative publicity and its impact on police officials, said the Ministry of Police.

Pretoria - Multilateral cooperation and regional developments formed part of discussions between South Africa and Chile on Friday.

Pretoria - The introduction of e-visas will serve not only to grow tourism volumes but will also create new job opportunities, Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said on Sunday.

Johannesburg - South Africa's report to the United Nations Universal Peer Review Mechanism Working Group was warmly received by a number of member states, says Justice Deputy Minister Andries Nel.

Pretoria - The problems of late or non-delivery of textbooks in Limpopo was due to the commencement of a new curriculum and only affected grades 1,2,3 and 10, the Presidential Task team has found.

Pretoria - The Department of Labour has embarked on a drive to review wages and conditions of employment in the troubled and volatile taxi industry.

Pretoria - With one year having passed since the official declaration of South Sudan's separation from north Sudan, the two countries so far seem to have failed to establish good neighbourly relations.

Johannesburg - Gauteng is leading the other eight provinces in terms of building houses and upgrading hostels, says Local Government and Housing MEC Humphrey Mmemezi.

Pretoria - Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande has expressed "shock and outrage" at media reports that the former chairman of the now dissolved Free State's Central University of Technology Council had appointed his brother as CEO of the university's Services and Enterprise Trust at an alleged salary of R1.2 million five months ago.

Pretoria - The Presidency says it has noted reports by some media relating to the company EduSolutions and its role in the procurement of textbooks in Limpopo.

Pretoria - More than seven million learners in Grades 1 to 6 and Grade 9 are to write this year's Annual National Assessments (ANAs), scheduled to be written from 18 to 21 September in 100 days' time.