South Africa

Johannesburg - Loads of activities are lined up for young visitors to the Johannesburg Zoo this festive season, and they will get rare opportunities that usually only keepers get.

Pretoria - South Africa has congratulated Joseph Kabila on his re-election as president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and reaffirmed its commitment to strengthen relations with that country.

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.