South Africa

Rustenburg - The North West province has succeeded in employing 630 healthcare professionals in vacant posts between April and August this year.

Pretoria - The 17th World Festival of Youth and Students to be held in December will bring tremendous benefits to the youth of South Africa, says the National Youth Development Agency.

Pretoria - An amount of R28 million has been approved to partially fund internet access networks for rural higher education campuses.

Pretoria - For 170 inmates from prisons across Gauteng, months of hard work and determination paid off on Wednesday when they were awarded their certificates, diplomas and degrees during a graduation ceremony at Pretoria Prison.

Johannesburg - The Gauteng provincial government remained upbeat on Wednesday that plans were in place to help the province recover from the recent public servants' strike.

Pretoria - The National Regulator for Compulsory Specification (NRCS) has urged the public to be on the lookout and report short massed products following the discovery of a company that was selling bread that is underweight.

Pretoria - Government has condemned reports that a 57-year-old sangoma has married a 13-year-old girl in Modimolle, Limpopo.

Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma has explained to Members of Parliament (MPs) the importance of foreign trips undertaken by government and the long term investment opportunities it will have on the South African economy.

Pretoria - Government has welcomed the fact that the debate on a proposed Media Appeals Tribunal has now entered Parliament.

Pretoria - The Gauteng Department of Health and Social Development has promised to put in place contingency measures in the face of today's full blown public service strike.

Pretoria - Arts and Culture Minister Lulu Xingwana has expressed shock and sadness at the death of well-known actress Fiona Coyne.

Pretoria - Bafana Bafana jets off to Sierra Leone on Friday to face the strong west African national team in a crucial 2012 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier match on Sunday.

Pretoria - Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe is expected to visit Plettenberg Bay tomorrow to assess progress made in government's anti-poverty programme.

Pretoria - The public now has the opportunity to voice their input on the country's energy mix with the release of the draft Integrated Resource Plan (IRP).

Pretoria - KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, has requested the South African Military Health Services (SAMHS) to render assistance at hospitals during the public service strike.