South Africa

Durban - South African international star Steven Pienaar has completed his reported 3million pounds move from Everton to Tottenham Hotspur, ending weeks of speculation about his future.

Pretoria - Except for minor concerns from the State of the National Address delivered by President Jacob Zuma, the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) has welcomed government's commitment to education.

Pretoria - The Mpumalanga provincial government has appointed a task team to look into the disruption of water services that had plagued the small municipality of Emalahleni in recent months.

Pretoria - The United Nations Security Council has welcomed the conclusion of voting in the referendum for the self-determination of Southern Sudan, describing the voting exercise as "largely peaceful and orderly."

Durban - The Proteas raced to an eight-wicket victory against Zimbabwe in a warm-up game ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup, which also saw the return of Jacques Kallis and the debut of Imran Tahir.

Pretoria - Forces loyal to the former president of Cote d'Ivoire, Laurent Gbagbo - who refuses to step down despite his electoral defeat - have opened fire towards UN peacekeepers in a new "act of aggression," according to the UN envoy on the ground there.

Durban - The KwaZulu-Natal Education Department has spent the past two days seeking solutions to a series of challenges at the 2011 KZN Education Summit.

Pretoria - Hundreds of houses, private property and classrooms have been damaged by heavy rains in Limpopo.

Cape Town - Western Cape MEC for Social Development Patricia De Lille has stepped in to assist hundreds of residents whose homes were ravaged by fire in Hout Bay's Imizamo Yethu Informal settlement.

Pretoria - Paul Treu's Sevens team gave its supporters a scare before reaching the semi-finals at the Commonwealth Games.

Cape Town - President Jacob Zuma has handed over 44 houses in Cape Town's District Six in an on-going process to give dignified housing for victims of apartheid's forced removals.

Pretoria - Heavy vehicles have been barred from using the R511 Road (between Brits and Thabazimbi) in the North West. The road has been declared temporarily unsafe due to heavy rains.

Pretoria - Forty-three families, evacuated on Monday morning from the Themba Khoza informal settlement on the banks of the Kaal River due to floods, have returned to their homes.

Cape Town - Education was a big winner of this year's Presidential Address Golf Challenge (PAGC) with top businesses donating more than R3 million to the Jacob Zuma Education Trust to help underprivileged children access higher education.

Pretoria - Public Protector Adv Thuli Madonsela has assured the public that they can trust her office with confidential information about corrupt activities.