South Africa

Cape Town – Government has created a new Early Childhood Development conditional grant to help children from poor households to attend ECD centres, National Treasury said on Wednesday.

Cape Town – A government expenditure review has found that government could save 20% on its current property leases over the next three years.

Cape Town – Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan has announced that from 1 April, government will freeze appointments to non-critical vacant posts, as part of measures to contain costs.

Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma has terminated the employment of members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in Darfur, Sudan.

Pretoria – The board of the South African Post Office (Sapo) will ensure that the Public Protector’s remedial actions, which came after investigations into the parastatal, are fully implemented.

Pretoria - Department of Water and Sanitation Director General Margaret-Ann Diedricks has left for Beijing to participate in a technical working committee of the Joint Working Group (JWG) between China and South Africa.

Pretoria - Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande has called on the management of universities to take decisive action in the face of student protests, which has been tainted by acts of violence and vandalism.

Pretoria - Members of the media are invited to submit their entries for the 2016 SADC Media Awards Competition.

Pretoria - Communications Minister Faith Muthambi will visit Keimoes in the Northern Cape after the first batch of government subsidised set-top boxes (STBs) was installed there in December 2015.

Pretoria - Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport Ismail Vadi has expressed concern over reports of violent behaviour, intimidation and incidents of physical attacks by criminals aimed at Metrorail train drivers and guards along the Daveyton-Dunswart rail line.

Pretoria - The South African Local Government Association (SALGA) has condemned the violent killings of councillors in the country.

Pretoria - The Portfolio Committee on Communications has given the Films and Publications Amendment Bill the green light and has unanimously agreed to take the bill for public consultation across the country.

Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma met with Finance Minister Pravin Ghordan and his deputy Mcebisi Jonas on Tuesday in Cape Town, ahead of the 2016 Budget Speech.

Pretoria - The Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) will closely monitor the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (PRASA) following the Auditor General’s finding that more than R550 million had been irregularly spent at the entity in the last financial year.

Pretoria - South Africa will soon send a team to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to implement a military strategy for that country.