South Africa

President Jacob Zuma says special remission of sentence to specific categories of sentenced offenders, probationers and parolees will be granted.

Pretoria - Former President Thabo Mbeki will not be able to attend the State of the Nation Address on Thursday.

Pretoria - The remains of South African Air Force (SAAF) members, who died in the Dakota C-47 accident on 5 December, will be handed over to their next-of-kin on Wednesday.

Cape Town - The Department of Trade and Industry wants to run a regular small business census to help improve its support and funding to the sector as part of a revised policy to boost support to small businesses.

Pretoria - The South African Banking Risk Information Centre (Sabric) on Wednesday urged vehicle owners to be wary of a scam that promises to bail out vehicle owners who cannot pay their regular finance instalments.

Health Minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, will on Saturday participate in a 240km Aspen Trans Karoo mountain bike challenge as part of an ambitious project to raise funds for under-privileged children who do not have access to quality healthcare services.

Pretoria - Before the end of the month, the ageing structure housing the City of Tshwane municipal headquarters will be cleared to pave way for the construction of a new state-of-the art building.

Cape Town - All eyes will be on President Jacob Zuma as he delivers the State of the Nation Address to a joint sitting of Parliament, this evening.

Cape Town - The City of Cape Town has reminded motorists and those who work in the city centre to take heed of the road closures around Parliament today.

Cape Town - Police have imposed restrictive security measures in and around Parliament ahead of the State of the Nation Address this evening.

Pretoria - Predictions are high that President Jacob Zuma will highlight government interventions to address the challenge of creating decent jobs when he delivers his State of the Nation Address (SONA) this evening.

Pretoria - Stakeholders in the health and education sectors are upbeat about what lies ahead in
2012.

Cape Town - It was all about red, green, black and a splash of colour at this year's opening of Parliament. Members of Parliament (MPs) were dressed to the nines, with some going a little over the top in their fashion sense.

Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma has arrived at Parliament, where he will deliver his fourth State of the Nation Address and chart the year ahead for the country.

Cape Town - South Africa will spend billions of rands over the coming years on new infrastructure, with the government to focus on building rail, road, and economic links in five regions in the country and building new universities and refurbishing hospitals, President Jacob Zuma said in his State of the Nation Address this evening.