South Africa

Pretoria - Government has increased efforts against the fight against alcohol and substance abuse which are "major public health and social concerns undermining society".

Pretoria - Motorists have been warned to watch their behaviour behind the wheel as reckless driving could see them go into the New Year without their licenses.

Pretoria - The City of Cape Town will implement a new liquor by-law that regulates alcohol trading hours as of midnight 31 December.

Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma has joined the chorus of well wishers from around the world in wishing Nelson Mandela a speedy recovery after he was admitted to hospital on Wednesday for routine tests.

Pretoria - A skills development forum is to be created in the Western Cape to ensure that skills development programmes meet the requirements of a growing economy, says Premier Helen Zille.

Pretoria - Traveller volumes in all South African ports of entry including air, land and sea ports have increased by 11 percent since the beginning of the festive season.

Pretoria - The final bells for the registration of illegal Zimbabweans living in South Africa are tolling, with only three days left before the deadline of 31 December 2010 as set out by Cabinet.

Pretoria - The national Human Settlements Department has made R100 million available to assist KwaZulu-Natal flood victims whose homes were damaged.

Pretoria - Premier Thandi Modise has unveiled her plans for the North West for this year during her State of the Province Address on Friday.

Pretoria - Relocating to a new place can be a daunting experience, but for residents of Bapsfontein informal settlement, what matters most is a conducive environment with basic services.

Pretoria - The North West province has heeded President Jacob Zuma's call for creating decent work by placing service delivery and job creation at the forefront of its plans for the year.

Pretoria - Former Athletics South Africa (ASA) boss Leonard Chuene has been dismissed with immediate effect and suspended for seven years from holding any position in athletics.

Cape Town - Home Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma is set to meet her Zimbabwean counterparts in Pretoria early next week to discuss progress regarding the processing of passports in that country.

Cape Town - More than four million South Africans have accessed Thusong Services Centres, which offer government information and services, since April last year, the Minister of Home Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma said today.

Pretoria- Hoax emergency calls about fake life threatening incidents and traffic accidents are costing the North West Department of Health more than R5 million a month.