South Africa

Johannesburg - Thousands of singers, painters and other artists countrywide are gearing for the largest football spectacle which comes to South Africa next year, the FIFA World Cup.

North West - MEC for Public Safety in the North West, Howard Yawa, has warned that police conduct should at all times be above reproach and in line with the pledge to protect and serve.

Pretoria - Correctional Services National Commissioner Tom Moyane presented the department's five-year strategic plan, which provides bold and clear performance targets, to the Portfolio Committee.

Pretoria - The Ministry for Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities has welcomed the heavy sentence handed down to serial rapist and murderer David Randitsheni by the Modimolle Circuit Court in Limpopo.

Pretoria - The Merchant Shipping (Safe Containers Convention) Bill 2010 will assist South Africa carry out its obligation to maintain the highest standards with regards to the safe carriage of containers over the country's water.

Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma has assured political parties that he has not appointed nor has he taken a final decision on whom to appoint as the country's new Chief Justice.

Pretoria - Local government will never be the same again after the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs unanimously passed the Municipal Systems Amendment [Bill 22 of 2010] on Tuesday.

Pretoria - National Police Commissioner Bheki Cele says he has found "pockets of excellence" in some parts of the country during his visits to police management in all nine provinces.

Pretoria - The organisation behind the Earth Hour campaign, which saw more than a million South Africans switching off their lights for an hour to highlight the effects of global warming, has scooped the prestigious Mail & Guardian Greening the Future Award.

Pretoria - Gauteng Health and Social Development MEC Ntombi Mekgwe will be at the forefront of a TB awareness campaign as South Africa commemorates World TB Day in Orange Farm on Thursday, 24 March.

Pretoria-The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has put contingency plans in place to ensure that operations at the regulator will not be disrupted during the strike by staff members.

Pretoria - Public Works Minister Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde is still studying the Public Protector's report on the controversial police headquarters lease agreement and is expected to comment on it in the next month.

Lagos - The Nigerian federal government has reassured existing and potential South African investors of the safety of their investments in the Niger Delta region.

Pretoria - The Easter road death toll has been reduced by almost half the number of deaths for the same period last year.

Nairobi - Kenyan Tourism Minister Najib Balala and his South African counterpart, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, have signed an agreement on modalities to encourage tourism investment in both countries.