PRETORIA USAID has pledged 282 million rand ($47 million) in development aid to South Africa for this year, the agency and the South African Foreign Ministry said Friday. The U.S. Agency for International Development said in a statement that its goal in providing development funding to South Africa was to help consolidate democracy and to support political, social and economic transformation in the country.

USAID's current program in South Africa is focused on education and workforce development, health and HIV/AIDS care, housing and urban development, private sector development and economic policy capacity development. The agency has provided economic assistance of more than one billion dollars (about six billion rand) to South Africa since 1984. (AFP)