''Festival of India, a two-month long extravaganza exploring Indian culture, has been launched here with a performance by fusion musician Abhijit Pohankar and local group Medumo. The Festival is part of the South Africa-India Programme for Cultural Co-operation which the two countries were committed to during the SA-India Joint Ministerial Meeting which was held in India in March 2011.

...coming at a difficult time for US and South African relations, the first lady’s trip to South Africa is a chance for the Obama White House to use a bit of what Washington analysts call “soft power,” or the power to persuade by focusing on shared positive aspirations and goals.

In a joint statement released by the SA and Swiss parties, the future bilateral cooperation strategy in the fields of science, technology and innovation were discussed. The statement also said with the appointment of a science and technology counsellor to the Swiss Embassy, in Pretoria in April 2010, an important hub was set up to help promote and expand cooperation between Switzerland and SA.

The Young African Women Leaders Forum, a two-day workshop and conference for women from across Africa, will take place in Johannesburg and Soweto, South Africa, June 21–22. U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama will address the conference and participate in some of its activities. The forum is designed to promote the role of women in all spheres of life in Africa.

U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama is expected to arrive in South Africa on Monday to meet with women's groups, speak about the importance of education and youth leadership, as well as take in the sights. Yet many say there's another unstated aspect of the trip: soothing prickly ties between the U.S. and South Africa.

As DIRCO we have responded to this call, by concentrating on the Youth of our country through skills development and empowerment. In this financial year, our Diplomatic Academy has taken an additional 39 Cadets that we are going to train for possible permanent absorption into the department

Chichi Maponya, the IMC board deputy chairman, said every South African should embrace the concept of building and enhancing the nation’s brand. She urged every citizen to rally behind Team South Africa, and help the IMC to fulfil its mandate. “A nation brand is a promise made. A successful nation brand is one that is kept,” she said.

South Africa’s Deputy Minister Dina Pule said that branding South Africa was not a matter of choice but of necessity. The International Marketing Council of South Africa (IMC) can only achieve its goals if all stakeholders collaborate in positioning South Africa as a globally competitive nation.