South Africa

Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma has appointed Francois Groepe as Deputy Governor of the South African Reserve Bank.

Pretoria - Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa has applauded police officers, particularly those in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), who helped secure the 362 life sentences handed down to criminals during the course of the year.

Pretoria - Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande has urged Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) to improve issues of governance and act decisively against corruption.

Pretoria - Shosholoza Meyl says its long distance trains are fully booked for December.

Pretoria - A Department of Health survey has shown an increase of 0.8% in the HIV prevalence of antenatal women between 2009 and 2010.

Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma has urged South Africans to be extra vigilant on the road this festive season, saying there was no better time to take road safety messages seriously.

Pretoria - The death toll on South Africa's roads since the beginning of the festive season has reached over 700, authorities said.

Port Elizabeth - The construction of a $100 million state-of-the-art truck and passenger car plant in the Eastern Cape will see nearly 7 000 jobs being created.

Pretoria - International Monetary Fund (IMF) head Christine Lagarde has called for greater efforts to guard African countries from the crises affecting developed economies.

Pretoria - Deputy Justice Minister Andries Nel has congratulated the six judges who have been elected to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Durban - If you are looking for innovations in energy efficiency, the Climate Change Response Expo has got it.

East London - The Eastern Cape government will be unveiling its strategy to combat climate change at COP17 in Durban.

Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma has appointed Advocate Nomvula Mokhatla, the Deputy National Director of Public Prosecutions, to act as the Head of the Special Investigating Unit, his office announced on Wednesday.

Pretoria - The Presidency has expressed concern at media reports alluding to comments President Jacob Zuma made regarding Western culture and Christianity, saying the manner in which the matter was reported is "misleading".

Pretoria - Home Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma has called for passengers travelling through OR Tambo International Airport to exercise patience following recent changes to the airport's immigration system.