South Africa

Midrand - South Africa disagrees with rating agency Moody's downgrade of South African financial institutions, says Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.

Pretoria - Home Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma has instructed her department to do all it can to put an end to the problem of duplicate identity documents.

Pretoria - The South African Government's Border Control Operational Coordinating Committee (BCOCC) on Thursday released details of measures put in place to prevent possible congestion at the busiest ports of entry over the festive season.

Pretoria - Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele has thanked the outgoing Chief Executive Officer of the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral), Nazir Alli, for the "sterling contribution" he made during his tenure at the agency.

Pretoria - South Africa's unemployment rate rose to 25.2% in the first quarter of 2012 compared to 23.9% in the fourth quarter of 2011, says Statistics South Africa (Stats SA).

Johannesburg - All functions related to the regulation of state subsidised independent schools in Gauteng will from now on be centralised at the Provincial Education Head Office instead of being managed by district offices.

Pretoria - North West Health MEC Dr Magome Masike has urged the public to use emergency services responsibly and refrain from attacking Emergency Medical Rescue Service (EMRS) personnel.

Pretoria - Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe opened the 7th South Africa - Germany Bi-National Commission in Berlin on Tuesday by extending an invitation to the European nation to invest in South Africa's massive state-led infrastructure drive.

Pretoria - Government has welcomed the ruling handed down by the North Gauteng High Court on the implementation of the Gauteng e-tolling system.

Cape Town - Arrests of several government officials suspected of defrauding the state of millions of rands through the signing of irregular leases were imminent, the Minister of Public Works Thulas Nxesi said on Tuesday.

Pretoria - Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa has opened the Mangaung 10111 Command Centre in a bid to bridge the gap between victims of crime and the police.

Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele has called on provinces and municipalities to work tirelessly to ensure a safe, reliable and efficient public transport system.

Johannesburg - Gauteng's MEC for Infrastructure Development, Qedani Mahlangu, has lambasted the behaviour of some National Youth Service (NYS) recruits who this week held employees at the department's headquarters hostage for several hours.

Pretoria - Gauteng Health MEC Hope Papo has reassured staff at George Mukhari Academic Hospital that the institution has not fallen off the department's radar, and that officials were committed to giving the hospital the necessary attention it needed in order to keep serving the public.

Pretoria - Duduza police have nabbed eight suspects during an anti-crime awareness campaign aimed at mobilising the community against crime over the festive season period.