South Africa

Durban - Through Operation Phakisa government aims to implement its policies and programmes better, faster and more effectively.

Giyani – Communications Minister Faith Muthambi has taken the Evuxakeni Psychiatric Hospital, in Giyani, Limpopo, under her wing to help improve and make it a centre of hope for the patients living there.

Pretoria - After the first Mandela Day in 2009, Mandela thanked all who had supported it. He said: “It is our hope that people will dedicate their time and effort to improve the conditions within their own communities. We thank you for participating in Mandela Day”.

Pretoria - A 72-year-old, Emily Serebolo of Santa Santa, in Kimberley, watched in amazement and with teary eyes as an army of Mandela Day spirit-filled-workers gathered in her yard to give her a new warm home.

Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma will today launch the first phase of Operation Phakisa -- an initiative aimed at fast-tracking the delivery of the priorities outlined in the National Development Plan (NDP).

Mthatha – The official opening of the Mvezo Komkhulu Museum, in the Eastern Cape, will not only help to keep the Madiba legacy alive, but also boost tourism in the village.

Mamelodi – Children at Child Welfare Tshwane, in Mamelodi, sang their hearts out in jubilation as Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor handed over boxes with food parcels and clothes to assist the centre.

Mahikeng - Nelson Mandela’s life has been celebrated through work, an activity that is an element of the late former statesman’s ethos, says Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa.

Pretoria – The Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) today spread some tender, loving care to an elderly centre in Hammanskraal, on Mandela Day.

Johannesburg – Thirty-year-old Sibusiso Bhengu, an offender incarcerated at the Leeukop Correctional Centre in Johannesburg, says he is glad he had an opportunity to interact with the outside world on Mandela Day.

Pretoria – For almost 20 years, Hilda Serope has been from court to court, trying to get maintenance for her three children without any success.

Mahikeng - Deputy President, Cyril Ramaphosa, on Friday rolled up his sleeves to paint one of the rooms of the Mahikeng Provincial Hospital, in the North West.

Cape Town – The faces of senior citizens at the Imizamo Home for the Aged, in Hout Bay, lit up after they were visited by Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown, on Mandela Day.

Pretoria - Deputy Minister of Environmental Affairs, Barbara Thompson, has dedicated her 67 minutes for Madiba to collecting waste, separating it for recycling and diverting it away from a landfill site.

Pretoria – Health Deputy Minister Joe Phaahla says Mandela Day should serve as a reminder of where South Africa comes from as a nation.