South Africa

Mbombela - More than half a million pupils in Mpumalanga will be tested to determine their literacy and numeracy levels.

Polokwane - Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant says much still needs to be done to restore the dignity of those that are unemployed.

Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma has on Sunday called on communities to report people who abuse the elderly, saying such behaviour cannot be tolerated.

Pretoria - The Minister of Justice Jeff Radebe has requested the Acting National Director of Public Prosecutions, Advocate Nomgcobo Jiba, to give him a report explaining the rationale behind the decision to charge the Lonmin miners with 44 counts of murder relating to the Marikana shooting incident.

Pretoria - South Africa has taken a number of legislative and policy steps towards ensuring that military operations take place in an environment where both human rights and humanitarian legal principles are present, says Defence and Military Veterans Minister, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula.

Pretoria - Chief of the South African Air Force, Lieutenant General Carlo Gagiano, has retired after serving the Air Force for 44 years and handed over the reigns to Lieutenant General Fabian Zimpande Msimang.

Cape Town - The government's programme that prevents the transmission of HIV from mother to child, helped save the lives of more than a hundred thousand babies.

Polokwane - Hundreds of unemployed youth in Limpopo on Friday turned out in large numbers to register for employment during the Department of Labour's Job Summit and Job Fair held in Polokwane.

Pretoria - Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe has welcomed the report of the Public Protector, Advocate Thuli Madonsela, on the investigation into allegations of improper involvement by himself in a business transaction with Iran.

Pretoria - The Inter-Ministerial Committee on the Marikana tragedy, led by Minister in The Presidency for Performance Monitoring, Evaluation and Administration, Collins Chabane, will this weekend attend the funerals of the victims of the tragedy.

Pretoria - International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane will undertake a visit to Thailand this weekend to attend the UN Climate Change Conference.

Pretoria - The petrol price will rise by 93 cents next week, said the Energy Department on Friday.

East London - Public Enterprises Minister Malusi Gigaba says that South Africans need to meet government halfway to ensure that the country does not run out of electricity.

Pretoria - Royalty collection agencies and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) should be encouraged to effect payments of royalties to musicians retrospectively from 2006 when the Copyright Act and the Performers Protection Act came into legal force, said the Department of Trade and Industry (dti) on Friday.

Rustenburg - Young people have the power to change the future, North West MEC for Sports, Arts and Culture Tebogo Modise said on Sunday at the official opening of one of the National Youth Camps being held across the country.