South Africa

Pretoria - Progress has been made by the Chief Procurement Office, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said on Wednesday.

Pretoria – The upcoming cricket test match between South Africa and Australia, to be played in Newlands Stadium, Cape Town, will be used to promote the country's 20 years of freedom, says the department of Sport and Recreation.

Cape Town – Government is working towards cutting more red tape to allow small and established businesses to increase their competitiveness and to promote local and foreign investment.

Cape Town – With increased calls to bolster entrepreneurship, which is identified as a crucial job driver in the economy, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan has dug deep to support Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) over the next three years.

Cape Town - Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan has announced a massive expenditure plan that will be anchored by the National Development Plan (NDP).

Cape Town – Despite the sluggish local economic growth brought about by the 2008 global recession, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan has not gone back on his 2013 growth projections.

Cape Town – Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan says government is concerned about the level of over-indebtedness of South African households.

Cape Town – The old age and disability grants will increase from R1 270 to R1 350 in April, says Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.

Cape Town – National government will allocate R105 billion in grants to municipalities over the next two years for free basic services such as water, sanitation, electricity and refuse removal.

Cape Town – If you have been planning to quit smoking, this is probably the best time to do that. Smokers will from now on pay roughly 68 cents more for a packet of cigarettes.

Cape Town – Education will receive a share of 20% (R254 billion) of government’s consolidated expenditure -- higher than any other sector.

Cape Town - Government spending on health is expected to exceed R492 billion over the next three years, as part of a plan to strengthen the health system, in preparation for the implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme.

Cape Town – The state will build 216 000 houses and connect 905 000 households to electricity over the next two years, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said in Parliament on Wednesday.

Pretoria – The Minister for Women, Children and People with Disabilities, Lulu Xingwana, says even though progress has been made in certain sectors, the battle for gender equality is far from over.

Pretoria – The bodies of five illegal miners have been discovered at the old Durban mine in Roodeport, opposite Matoleville in the Johannesburg area.