South Africa

Cabinet approved the moratorium on the disposal of mining assets currently held by the state entities. This moratorium is intended to provide the Minister of Mineral Resources with adequate time to conduct and finalise an audit of mining interests held directly or indirectly by the state. This audit will enable the state to decide whether to consolidate, retain or dispose of such interests. Any exceptions to this moratorium will require discussions with the Minister of Mineral Resources and final approval from Cabinet before finalisation.

Cape Town - South Africa will continue to support the strengthening of the African Union and its structures, says Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe.

As part of its regular Cabinet meetings, Cabinet met yesterday and among the issues discussed was the current H1N1 Influenza pandemic. Cabinet decided to mount an enhanced national response to build on what has already been done so far by the Department, the Department Education, NICD and the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Country Office.

Johannesburg - Energy efficiency is vital for South Africa's economic and developmental growth, says Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe.

Pretoria - Government is to mount an enhanced national response to build on measures already in place to deal with the H1N1 Influenza pandemic, known as swine flu.

Pretoria - Motorists have been warned that a portion of the N1 freeway at Atterbury Road in Pretoria will be closed from late on Friday to Monday morning.

Pretoria - South Africa will participate in the facilitation of the peace process in Madagascar, Government Spokesperson Themba Maseko said on Thursday.

Cape Town - Government will continue to work hard in addressing issues of crime, electricity and land reform as part of its priorities outlined in the Medium Term Strategic Framework.

Cape Town - Cabinet has been assured that Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe's safety was not compromised when his airplane was forced to land in the Democratic Republic of the Congo last week.

Pretoria - To the surprise of economists, the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) on Thursday announced a cut of 50 basis points to the interest rate.

Pretoria - The North Gauteng High Court has granted the Department of Defence and Military Veterans a postponement on the matter between the department and the South African National Defence Union (SANDU).

Johannesburg - President Jacob Zuma has thrown down the gauntlet on criminals vowing his government will push for tougher laws to ensure police win their war against the perpetrators of crime.

Johannesburg - Health Deputy Minister, Dr Molefi Sefularo, says although there is a lack of capacity in state facilities, especially in rural areas, the department is addressing the inequities.

Johannesburg - Johannesburg Metro Police Chief Chris Nqcobo has been cleared of allegations of misconduct and corruption.

Bloemfontein - Deputy Minister of Correctional Services, Hlengiwe Mkhize, says the department has taken steps to address discrepancies in the reviewing of inmates in correctional centres.