South Africa

Pretoria - The Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital has refuted claims that it is serving patients food past its sell-by date, as alleged in the media.

As Home Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma bids farewell to the department to take up a new role at the African Union in Addis Ababa, managers in her department know they have an immeasurable task of ensuring her legacy is protected and that they carry Home Affairs to new heights.

Pretoria - Sport and Recreation Minister Fikile Mbalula will be rolling out the South African School Sport National Championships from 10 -15 December at various venues in Tshwane.

Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma has welcomed the endorsement by Parliament of the extension of the term of office of Justice Sandile Ngcobo as the Chief Justice of the Republic of South Africa.

Cape Town - The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is to investigate whether any individuals - both inside and outside the department - were involved in corrupt practices in its fisheries division after a preliminary investigation into tender irregularities uncovered a number of concerns in a coastguard contract, the department said on Tuesday.

Kuruman - Mineral Resources Deputy Minister Godfrey Oliphant has urged communities living in mining areas to get actively involved in the negotiations and discussions pertaining to the sector.

Pretoria - Three men convicted of killing missing Ekurhuleni councillor Godfrey Mbethe will know their fate when their sentences are read out to them at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Tuesday.

Pretoria - Government says it has taken note of the nation's concerns regarding the looming petrol price increase, which comes into effect at midnight.

Pretoria - New vehicle sales in March have increased by 4.8% year-on-year to 56 110 units, the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA) announced on Tuesday.

Pretoria - The SA Chamber of Commerce and Industry' s Business Confidence Index (BCI) for March declined by 3.8 index points to 95.7 after rising by 2.4 points in February 2012, the body said.

Washington - The World Bank on Tuesday said it would conduct interviews with the three candidates for the bank presidency this month as previously planned.

Pretoria - The three men convicted of killing Ekurhuleni councillor Godfrey Mbethe were sentenced to life imprisonment by the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on Tuesday.

Pretoria - A total of R2.5 billion is to be allocated towards the refurbishment and construction of new campuses of Further Education and Training (FET) colleges over the next three years, President Jacob Zuma announced on Wednesday

Mbombela - People travelling on the N4 highway between Pretoria and Maputo this Easter weekend have been warned to avoid peak traffic times if possible.

Pretoria - Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi on Wednesday launched a study programme that will see South Africa reduce the turnaround time for toxicology results as well as increase the number of forensic toxicologists.