Dell South Africa will continue its six year partnership with Southern Africa’s largest science centre, the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre, with a further investment of R 700,000. These funds will go towards the ICT Training Centre which Dell established last year. This training centre is the only facility available to all public school teachers and it plays an important role to ensure that South African teachers gain the essential ICT skills necessary for professional educators.

Africa will target the establishment of a continental free trade area by 2017, said a document issued at the closing of the 18th summit of the African Union (AU) on Tuesday.

The economic crisis occurs under very upbeat circumstances for Africa said President Jacob Zuma. Speaking at the 26th NEPAD Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee on Saturday, the President said Africa has recorded high growth levels and has become a prime focus in the world.

An important process which started three years ago will begin to move forward decisively this week. It promises to be an important instrument for the future of trade and industrialisation in Africa. The first round of negotiations to establish a free trade area covering 27 countries in Southern and East Africa will kick off on 8 December in Nairobi. It is envisaged that the negotiations will be completed in 36 months.

Food items have been donated to the Duduza community by farmers in the area, after a tornado ripped through the settlement at the weekend, Agri SA said on Tuesday.

South Africans have saved 1 800 megawatts worth of electricity – enough to power a city the size of Durban – through energy efficient lighting since 2004, says state energy utility, Eskom.

A group of international journalists recently visited Gauteng as part of a promotional tour for the Brand South Africa campaign. The efficient public transport system and sampling delicious local fare were among the tour group’s highlights.

South Africa is set to create a US-style development aid agency as it seeks to play a more prominent role as a major donor country in Africa, says International Relations and Co-operation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane.

Time Magazine recently released their list of the world's most influential people in 2010. Among the laureates are seven Africans who stand alongside the likes of Barack Obama and Steve Jobs as global change-makers. From activists to sports stars, inventors to big-business leaders, African born heroes and heroines are leaving their mark on the world.

The list includes South African born Elon Musk and Neill Blomkamp, Graça Machel from Mozambique, Didier Drogba, Valentin Abe and Tidjane Thiam from Côte d'Ivoire and Matt Berg, who grew up in Senegal.

Elon Musk rose to prominence as co-founder of PayPal. One of his current companies, SpaceX, develops and manufactures space launch vehicles. He also helped to create Solar City, the largest provider of solar-power systems in the US and he designed the Tesla, one of the first electric cars of the modern era.

South African-born director Neill Blomkamp made the list on account of the widespread success of his first feature film, District 9.