South Africa

Cape Town - Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has announced that the days of using "conflicting and controversial data" in his department are over.

Pretoria - Preliminary reports have indicated that Day One of the matric exams have gone smoothly without any hassles countrywide.

Pretoria - The Northern Cape Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development has confirmed the occurrence of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) in cattle at a Kakamas farm near Upington.

Pretoria - Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan will today deliver his maiden Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) in circumstances dictated to by an unfavourable economic climate.

Pretoria - The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) will today brief Parliament on measures that will be put in place to regulate mobile operator's termination rates.

Pretoria - The two out of the four mining employees who were trapped underground following a rockfall at Harmony Gold's Target Mine in the Free State have been brought to safety.

Pretoria - The Department of Correctional Services, in consultation with the Department of Health, has declared a ten-day quarantine at the Johannesburg Medium A Correctional Centre.

QwaQwa – Several initiatives under the Comprehensive Rural Development Project (CRDP) are bearing fruit in the Free State, easing the lives of residents.

Polokwane - The Peter Mokaba stadium in Limpopo is 96 percent complete and will be officially opened in January.

Mbombela - More than 600 businesses in Mpumalanga are seeking legal advice on how to challenge the renaming of Nelspruit to Mbombela.

Cape Town - Government aims to save over R27 billion a year by cutting down on wastage and slashing inefficient spending.

Pretoria - A preliminary report by the Ministerial Task Team, established to look into government expenditure in response to the current economic downturn, was today released by Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.

Cape Town - The Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, has announced the further relaxation of exchange controls in a bid to reduce the cost of doing business in the country and attract more foreign investment.

Honourable Speaker
Mister President
Mister Deputy President
Fellow Cabinet Colleagues and Deputy Ministers
Governor of the Reserve Bank and Governor-Designate
MEC's of Finance
Members of the Diplomatic Corps
Directors-General
Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen

Cape Town - Government is set to up its efforts to create more jobs and plans to create 4.5 million short-term jobs through the Expanded Public Works Programme over the next five years.