South Africa

Pretoria - Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk says South Africa saw exceptional growth in tourist arrivals in the first quarter of 2012.

Pretoria - Young people attending the second annual Nelson Mandela Children's Parliament have appealed to government to take their views into account when developing policy and programmes that affect them.

Pretoria - The General Intelligence Laws Amendment Bill (Gilab) does not seek to make policy changes, State Security Minister Siyabonga Cwele said on Friday.

Pretoria - The Council of Education Ministers says there is a need to scrutinise how human resource management is conducted in provincial education departments to increase accountability among principals and schools.

Pretoria - South Africa will host a meeting of African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Focal Points in April, the Ministry for Public Service and Administration said on Friday.

Magaliesberg - North West MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development Boitumelo Tshwene says South Africans should use land properly to push back the frontiers of hunger and poverty.

Pretoria - Transformation is still needed in all areas of mining, Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu reiterated on Friday.

Pretoria - With 10 districts being identified for piloting the National Health Insurance (NHI), the Department of Health has set out its non-negotiables for a successful health system.

Krugersdorp - Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe on Friday called on community members who need help from government to come forward so they can be assisted.

Pretoria - There has been a general decrease in crime levels for the period January to March 2012 when compared to the previous quarter, says Justice Minister Jeff Radebe.

Pretoria - The youth has a pivotal role to play in restoring the dignity and bettering the lives of South Africans, says Home Affairs Deputy Minister Fatima Chohan.

Cape Town - There never was anything wrong with Madiba, the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Lindiwe Sisulu said today after the former President yesterday underwent a planned medical procedure.

Carletonville - Despite the many advances in mining legislation, poor living conditions and general negligence of health issues were still evident in the country's mines, Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu said at the weekend.

Johannesburg - The Department of Education has welcomed the report compiled by Professor Mary Metcalf into the delivery of textbooks to Limpopo schools, saying that the report adequately captures the complexities of the Section 100 (1)(b) intervention in that province and the difficulties experience by national government in terms of the provision of textbooks to schools in Limpopo.

Cape Town - The Minister of Correctional Services Sbu Ndebele said it was regrettable that some of the prisoners that were pardoned in April had re-offended.