South Africa

Pretoria- Government has condemned the kidnapping of a 12-year-old South African boy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Pretoria - As South Africa observes Child Protection Week, government has reiterated calls for communities to play a bigger role in protecting the most vulnerable in society.

Butterworth - President Jacob Zuma has encouraged communities to use land more effectively to fight hunger and poverty.

Pretoria - South Africa is in talks with officials in Sudan to secure the release of a South African man who was captured at the weekend, said the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco).

Pretoria - Indian President Pratibha Patil will travel to South Africa on Wednesday for a state visit, said the Department of International Relations and Cooperation on Monday.

Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma has extended his heartfelt condolences to the family of former Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister, Sicelo Shiceka, who died this morning.

In March, cabinet approved the submission of the amendment bills for the Labour Relations Act (LRA) and the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) to Parliament. The two will deal with the phenomenon of labour broking and child labour, among other things.

Johannesburg - The ANC and the Goodman Gallery have reached an agreement in the matter of the Brett Murray portrait depicting President Jacob Zuma in an offensive manner.

Pretoria - Cabinet spokesperson and GCIS CEO, Jimmy Manyi, has called on Facebook users not to be misled by impersonators on the social media website.

Cape Town - MPs and officials from the Departments of Labour and Mineral Resources expressed frustration after Aurora Empowerment Systems and their provisional liquidators failed to turn up in Parliament today to detail what is being done to assist employees of Orkney and Grootvlei gold mines, which are in liquidation.

Pretoria - South Africa has lost a total of 199 rhinos due to illegal rhino poaching since the beginning of the year.

Polokwane - The Limpopo Tourism Agency wants to use celebrities to attract more people to visit the province during the festive season.

Pretoria - Cooperatives can be used as a business model to effectively empower communities.

Pretoria - The outbreak of anthrax in the north of the Kruger National Park (KNP) has claimed the lives of 30 hippopotamus in the Letaba and Olifants River in the past two weeks.

Pretoria - The South African Revenue Service (SARS) Customs team at OR Tambo International Airport has prevented more than 17kg of drugs from entering the country over the past few days.