South Africa

Pretoria - South Africa's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) came in lower than expected, increasing by 1.4% in the third quarter of 2011.

Pretoria - North West Premier Thandi Modise says delayed payment to creditors needs to be investigated to check if soliciting of bribes and corruption are not the root of non-compliance with the Public Finance Management Act.

Pretoria - Minister of Social Development Bathabile Dlamini will on Tuesday launch the Food for All Campaign in the North West as part of government's efforts to fight extreme hunger and poverty.

Johannesburg - Loads of activities are lined up for young visitors to the Johannesburg Zoo this festive season, and they will get rare opportunities that usually only keepers get.

Pretoria - South Africa has congratulated Joseph Kabila on his re-election as president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and reaffirmed its commitment to strengthen relations with that country.

Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma has appointed Francois Groepe as Deputy Governor of the South African Reserve Bank.

Pretoria - Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa has applauded police officers, particularly those in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), who helped secure the 362 life sentences handed down to criminals during the course of the year.

Pretoria - Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande has urged Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) to improve issues of governance and act decisively against corruption.

Pretoria - Shosholoza Meyl says its long distance trains are fully booked for December.

Pretoria - A Department of Health survey has shown an increase of 0.8% in the HIV prevalence of antenatal women between 2009 and 2010.

Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma has urged South Africans to be extra vigilant on the road this festive season, saying there was no better time to take road safety messages seriously.

Pretoria - The death toll on South Africa's roads since the beginning of the festive season has reached over 700, authorities said.

Port Elizabeth - The construction of a $100 million state-of-the-art truck and passenger car plant in the Eastern Cape will see nearly 7 000 jobs being created.

Pretoria - International Monetary Fund (IMF) head Christine Lagarde has called for greater efforts to guard African countries from the crises affecting developed economies.

Pretoria - Deputy Justice Minister Andries Nel has congratulated the six judges who have been elected to the International Criminal Court (ICC).