South Africa

Johannesburg - Joburg Water has drawn up a six month-long water infrastructure upgrade project in Ennerdale Extension 5 in a bid to get rid of obsolete systems in the southern suburb.

Gaza - Senior United Nations officials on Thursday began their assessment of the humanitarian needs in Gaza, getting a first-hand look at the damage and destruction inflicted on the Strip's 1.5 million residents during three weeks of Israeli military operations.

Johannesburg - More than 3 000 minibus taxis and 450 buses, branded with a GauRide logo, will be made available to transport soccer fans to stadia across Gauteng during the FIFA Confederations Cup.

Cape Town - More work needs to be done to ensure the judiciary serves the less privileged members of society, says President Kgalema Motlanthe.

Pretoria - An African solution must be found to the economic, political and social crisis in Zimbabwe, says Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moller.

Johannesburg - Although the sale of tickets for the FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2010 FIFA World Cup is strong worldwide, the response from South Africans to purchase tickets is slow.

Pretoria - Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Fatima Hajaig will this weekend depart for Japan ahead of next week's Japan-South Africa Partnership Forum.

Cape Town - The Department of Higher Education and Training has accepted a proposal for the establishment of a monitoring and oversight body to deal with challenges of transformation in higher institutions.

East London - Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Sicelo Shiceka, has vowed to leave no stone unturned in fighting corruption in local government over the next five years.

Pretoria - A Boeing 747 carrying humanitarian aid contributed by the South African public and co-ordinated by Gift of the Givers Organisation on Friday touched down in Cairo, Egypt en-route to Gaza, Palestine.

Johannesburg - South Africa's first electric car will be on display at the National Climate Change Conference on Wednesday.

Pretoria - Devoted police officers, who put their lives at risk to provide safety to communities countrywide, will be honoured next Tuesday on National Police Day, writes Proffesor Ndawonde.

Cape Town - Home Affairs Minister, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, on Wednesday visited the Cape Town regional offices as part of her countrywide road show.

Johannesburg - The load shedding which wreaked havoc on South Africa's economy and businesses at the beginning of last year was a learning experience for Eskom, says Eskom Chief Executive Officer Jacob Maroga.

Pretoria - As part of celebrating exactly one year on Thursday to the 2010 FIFA World Cup kick-off, South Africans have been called on to wear Bafana Bafana jerseys or a yellow shirt.