South Africa

The Department of Home Affairs is making significant progress in clearing permit backlogs, improving access to services and managing its finances.

Pretoria - The focus on infrastructure development in President Jacob Zuma's State of the Nation Address has been welcomed by various quarters.

Cape Town - Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga says her department will continue focusing on getting the "basics right" in order to fix the education system.

Cape Town - Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has echoed President Jacob Zuma's call to accelerate the prevention of HIV and Aids, saying that stronger emphasis will be placed on combating the disease.

Cape Town - Plans are afoot to further train police officers and enhance the fight against crime, Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa said.

Cape Town - President Jacob Zuma has urged South Africans to take advantage of the opportunities that will be created by a massive new infrastructure build programme.

Public Service and Administration Minister Roy Padayachie has reiterated government's commitment to implementing an effective and efficient public service.

Pretoria - The Department of Agriculture, Forestries and Fisheries has refuted the nepotism claims made by the Democratic Alliance (DA) as baseless allegations.

Pretoria - Banyana Banyana will jet off to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, today to compete against their
South American opposition, with a clear message from President Jacob Zuma to make the country proud.

Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma's stance on crime and corruption in his State of the Nation Address has been welcomed, however Dr Johan Burger from the Institute for Security Studies says a progress report on earlier commitments would have been an added bonus.

Pretoria - Education unions have welcomed several aspects of President Jacob Zuma's State of the Nation Address (SONA).

Johannesburg - Minister for Women, Children and People with Disabilities, Lulu Xingwana, has urged parents to educate their children on how to protect themselves from the dangers of online activities.

Pretoria - Some Pretoria residents say they approve of the vision for the country President Jacob Zuma outlined in his State of the Nation Address last night.

Cape Town - The South African government has entered into a massive partnership with a leading global pharmaceutical company to manufacture the ingredients of Anti-Retroviral (ARV) drugs locally.

Pretoria - The Gauteng Department of Health has settled in full all debts owed to medical suppliers for 2011 and is now moving at speed to implement a turnaround strategy at its medical depot, the department says.