Although we suspect that many tourists flocking to the country for the 2010 FIFA World Cup will be drinking mineral water by the gallon, the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs Buyelwa Sonjica has given the tap water in all 2010 FIFA World Cup host cities a clean bill of health.

Human trafficking is big business. In fact, it’s worth between US$7 billion and $12 billion dollars annually, making it the third most lucrative criminal activity after the narcotics and weapons trades. Yet, the penalties for human trafficking in most countries are much less severe, or non-existent. That’s why South Africa has created a new Bill.

In the midst of National Water Week comes good news for Gautengers – the Department of Water Affairs and Rand Water has forced Gauteng's Emfuleni municipality to manage and treat its sewage, helping to avert a potential environmental disaster in the Vaal River.

Did you know that South Africa, along with Egypt, are the continent's leading producers of conventional weapons, with most other African states relying on imports to meet their growing needs? So when a recent report by South Africa's Auditor-General revealed a serious lack of controls over exports of massive arsenal of conventional weapons, you have to wonder – are we keeping Africa in a state of war?

A few years back, we were inundated with reports of the serious problem of overcrowding in prisons. So how have we progressed? Well, if we take the Eastern Cape for example, in the past three years the total number of offenders accommodated in its 44 correctional centers fluctuated from 19500 to 20000.  But why so little change?

A development fund that draws on stakeholder relationships to support primary cooperatives? This is the promise of a new R50 million fund that will be implemented in one the country’s poorest provinces – The Eastern Cape.

Here’s something we don’t hear often – the UN awarding one of South Africa’s provincial health departments for the exceptional work it is doing in the fight against TB. So what made them sit up and take notice? Two things really.

In the past year we have seen a number of renewable energy projects kick started. But here’s something slightly different and a first for Africa – a carbon credits project (income generator) that creates renewable energy (money saver) by converting gas from household waste (guilt reducer). And guess where it’s being piloted? Durban.

Nearly 150 years after the first diamond was discovered on the banks of the Orange River, health department investigators have uncovered something new in the mining fields – a causal link between mining and a painful lung disease called Silicosis, among other “occupational hazards”. 

The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality recently revealed a plan to construct a R13-million water pipeline set to save the city from future water problems. Municipal spokesman Luncedo Njezula said the Water Master Plan, a long-term solution to water shortages, made provision for providing water to the Bay up to 2020 and included the building of a new pipeline to pump extra water from the Orange River Project to the Bay area.

Johannesburg - The government will "urgently" start rehabilitating state hospitals in order to implement its new National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme, Deputy Health Minister Molefi Sefularo said on Wednesday.

More than half of the countries that have qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup have committed or pledged to offset the emissions of their teams’ and officials’ flights to South Africa for the competition.

A mining academy had been launched in Mankwe, in the NorthWest , to address skills shortages and raise productivity in the mining industry, Nyala Pilane, chief of the Bakgatla-Ba Kgafela Traditional Administration, said last week.

Three decades worth of experience in running a business in Transkei is what mentor Charles Harper brought to the table as a coach to government officials setting up one-stop shops in three Transkei towns.

Suburbs in Joburg's northwest are being targeted in Pikitup's Separation at Source recycling campaign, which has been running for almost a month. Recycling waste is becoming easier for people in Johannesburg, with a vigorous programme from Pikitup already up and running.  Called Separation at Source, the Pikitup initiative is in partnership with Mondi Recycling. It has begun in Joburg's northwestern suburbs and informal settlements - those serviced by the municipal waste manager's Waterval Depot.

Detailed work is currently in progress to ensure the release of the $500-million approved in October under the international Clean Technology Fund (CTF) for a portfolio of low-carbon energy projects in South Africa, Environmental Affairs DDG Joanne Yawitch tells Engineering News Online.

Johannesburg - Education levels among South African adults have increased significantly in the past 10 years, the South African Institute of Race Relations (SAIRR) said on Tuesday. "Between 1997 and 2007 the number of adults who had completed Grade 8 increased from 14 093 000 to 19 026 000," it said in a statement.

Pretoria: South Africa will this year observe the 10th anniversary of the 16 Days of Activism Campaign for No Violence against Women and Children Campaign, which starts on 25 November (International Day of No Violence against Women) and close on 10 December 2009 (International Human Rights Day).

On 4 December 2009, the South Durban Basin (SDB) Area Based Management, in partnership with the City’s Health Department, local NGOs, businesses and community members will be hosting a Youth Forum to create awareness among the youth regarding HIV/AIDS.  This interactive discussion will centre around substance abuse, gender based violence and its link to HIV/AIDS.

A recent tax court judgment where a not-for-profit organisation was denied a value added tax (VAT) claim could have far-reaching implications for welfare businesses and corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes.