Johannesburg  - A South African holiday does not have to include a stay at a luxury safari lodge in Kruger National Park or taking an expensive wine tour in the Western Cape province.

Increasingly, tourists of modest means are exploring the country and they can use an elaborate network of inexpensive backpacker hostels and bus routes linking South Africa's attractions.

Johannesburg - The Elders, a group of leading activists and former world leaders, on Monday urged Zimbabwe's opposition to go into government with President Robert Mugabe in the interest of the Zimbabwean people.

The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party has been holding out on joining a unity government on Mugabe's terms, demanding that power should be divided equally between the parties.

Johannesburg - South Africa on Monday heaped pressure on Zimbabwe's rival political leaders to form a unity government, with President Kgalema Motlanthe and the man tipped to soon replace him, Jacob Zuma, describing the situation in Zimbabwe as "very bad" and "very desperate."

Motlanthe, chairman of the 15-nation Southern African Development Community reiterated: "The parties must implement with immediate effect their own agreement which they signed on September 15."

Johannesburg  - Football's controlling body FIFA on Sunday said it was considering announcing the host of the World Cup earlier.

Addressing a press briefing on the state of transportation for the 2010 World Cup FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke said that it had already been discussed at executive level.

"We are even considering announcing two World Cup hosts at the same time, that would give one of them at least 11 years to prepare."

Valcke said that the preparations for the World Cup in South Africa in 2010 had shown that seven years was the minimum needed to build the infrastructure necessary to host the World Cup.

Johannesburg  - There were smiles all around on Saturday as South Africa took another step towards hosting the 2010 football World Cup.

A short, but colourful, draw ceremony for the 2009 Confederations Cup at the Sandton Convention Centre went off without a hitch, the hosts were given a very favourable draw and coaches and officials of the other seven competing teams were also satisfied.

Bafana Bafana will play Iraq in the opening game in Ellis Park on June 14, 2009, while New Zealand face Euro 2008 champions Spain in the other Group A game on the same day.

Johannesburg  - Coaches and officials of the teams that were drawn into Group A of the Confederations Cup on Saturday agreed that they were drawn into a good group.

The hosts South Africa will play Iraq in the opening game in Ellis Park on June 14, 2009, while New Zealand face Euro 2008 champions Spain in the other group game on the same day.

The other group sees world champions Italy take on the defending June 14-28, 2009 Confederations Cup champions Brazil, as well as Egypt and US in the competition that will be played in four venues.

Spanish coach Vicente Del Bosque dismissed any speculation that the group would be an easy one. "We have a mixture of styles in our group and I hope that in the end our style will win.