South Africa

Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma has hailed the 70.2% matric pass rate, saying it is a step in the right direction.

Pretoria - Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga has announced that most provinces in the country have achieved improved matric pass rates.

Malalane - Fourteen families have had to be relocated following heavy rains that lashed Mpumalanga's deep rural Nkomazi area this week.

Pretoria - Around 70.2% of the matriculants who sat for the 2011 National Senior Certificate examinations last year passed their exams.

Pretoria - Hard work and dedication are key when it comes to acing your matric exams, some of the top performing learners in the 2011 National Senior Certificate exams said on Wednesday.

Pretoria - The South African Democratic Teachers' Union (Sadtu) has joined the rest of the country in congratulating 2011 matrics who have passed the exams.

Mbombela - Heavy downpours have wrecked households, lodges and cut off communities in Mpumalanga's Lowveld and some parts of Limpopo this week.

Badplaas - Mpumalanga education authorities have hailed the success of the 2011 matrics who produced a pass rate of 64.8% - an 8% improvement on the 2010 results.

Cape Town - The Western Cape Education Department says it will focus on reducing the number of underperforming schools in the province this year, following an inspiring performance in the 2011 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations.

Cape Town - Matrics in the Western Cape have reason to celebrate after achieving an impressive 82.9% pass rate for 2011, up by 6.1% compared to 2010.

Pretoria - Northern Cape Social Development MEC Alvin Botes has called on parents of learners who did not succeed in the 2011 matric examinations to support and encourage them.

Durban - Soft-spoken Sabelo Zungu was overwhelmed with people wanting to take his picture and ask him questions about his success in the 2011 matric exams.

Pretoria - Matriculants in Pretoria who wrote the National Senior Certificate exams last year are upbeat about their results.

Pretoria - The Department of Home Affairs aims to speed up visa applications for the 2012 academic year to make life a little easier for foreign academics and students.

Johannesburg - Gauteng's improved matric performance could not have happened without the hard work and cooperation of parents, caregivers, teachers and learners, says Premier Nomvula Mokonyane.