South Africa

Pretoria - South Africa's unemployment rate had increased from 24.9% to 25.5% in the third quarter of 2012, said Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) on Thursday.

Rosebank - Statistics South Africa and the Statistics Council have defended the accuracy of the results of Census 2011, saying they were in line with universally accepted standards and were reached after much consideration.

Johannesburg - Human Resources practitioners should use the recent census results as a tool for planning ahead in order to be able to deliver efficient and effective public service.

Pretoria - The Gauteng Department of Economic Development (GDED) has expressed concern over the increase in murders and violent crime in the Muldersdrift area.

Johannesburg - The all-important Census 2011 results have reaffirmed the findings of the Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO) Quality of Life Survey, reports the Gauteng Provincial Government.

Pretoria - Government is "delighted" with the Khayelitsha Magistrate's Court sentencing of Mlulami Gagu to three life terms in prison.

Pretoria - Representatives of major retail banks, the Banking Association of South Africa (BASA) and the National Treasury have signed an agreement aimed at improving responsible lending and preventing households from being caught in a debt spiral.

Pretoria - Bafana Bafana will face reigning African champions Zambia in the annual Nelson Mandela Challenge at Soccer City stadium, Johannesburg, on 14 November.

Pretoria - Efforts aimed at addressing and eradicating the bottlenecks that hinder women from participating in the mainstream economy are underway, says Trade and Industry Deputy Minister Elizabeth Thabethe.

Pretoria - Government is designing a citizen-based monitoring system that will help boost partnerships with civil society to better deal with issues that affect people on a daily basis.

Pretoria - A Free State businesswoman has come out tops in the South African Women Entrepreneurs Network (SAWEN) awards - held last night in Boksburg.

Pretoria - Minister of Higher Education and Training Dr Blade Nzimande has concluded a successful visit with his Jamaican counterpart, Reverend Ronald Thwaites, where issues of collaboration, research, knowledge sharing and exchange programmes were discussed.

Pretoria - The African continent can potentially provide the workforce to aging developed economies, says chief executive officer of the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Sacci), Neren Rau.

Soweto - A school safety campaign launched at Pace Comprehensive School and Lavela High School in Soweto on Tuesday was an eye opener for both learners and teachers.

Pretoria - The first day of the countrywide Annual National Assessment tests was a success with Grades 1, 2, 4 and 5 learners from almost 19 000 schools, sitting for their language paper.