February 23, 2016.
For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Sane Dhlamini.
Making headlines:

E-tolls slayer warns Gordhan not to raise taxes.

Ugandan opposition leader taken into police custody for third time.

And, DA wants Mahumapelo to outline plan of action for North West during Sopa.

Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan has been urged not to hike taxes and instead focus on cutting down on the size and cost of government, and privatise state owned enterprises.

Wayne Duvenage, who started Outa as a body to fight road agency Sanral on the implementation of e-tolls in Gauteng, had broadened the scope of the organisation to challenge government’s misuse of taxpayers’ money.

In a message to Gordhan, Duvenage said government had displayed a growing appetite for additional taxes over and above the standard taxes, without delivering the required value.

He said the citizens were tired for incessant requests for more taxes, whilst maladministration, gross ineptitude and corruption continued unabated.

Outa suggested for Gordhan to reduce the bloated size and extravagant costs of government by 30% over the next five years.

Uganda’s main opposition leader was taken into custody by police for the third time in less than two weeks yesterday after threatening to lead a protest march to the headquarters of Uganda’s Electoral Commission in the capital Kampala.

A news agency reported that Dr Kizza Besigye was bundled into a police van when he tried to leave his home, where he had been under house arrest.

Besigye’s threat followed President Yoweri Museveni’s electoral victory in last Thursday’s presidential and parliamentary elections, with Museveni winning 61% of the vote and Besigye 35% of the vote.

Museveni’s 30-year reign has been extended and this was the fourth election Besigye had lost to the incumbent president.

Besigye said the polls were rigged while foreign observers said the elections were marred by violence and intimidation.

But the Ugandan president hit back and denied the allegations and instead accused Besigye of incitement to violence.

Meanwhile South Africa President Jacob Zuma has congratulated Museveni on his re-election as president of Uganda.

North West premier Supra Mahumapelo must outline his plan of action for the province during his State of the Province Address (or Sopa), the DA said yesterday.

DA party leader in North West, Joe McGluwa said Mahumapelo must present a credible plan around the education and healthcare challenges, the ongoing drought and poor local government performance to the citizens of North West.

He said they needed proper sustainable planning in the province.

He said there was currently no effective management and implementation practices in place and the provincial government was only looking at short-term solutions.

McGluwa said the Premier should not sell the programme as a solution to challenges because the programme alone was not enough to address the issues in the province.

He said the province was suffering from the drought and all of the problems associated with water scarcity.

Also making headlines:

The Ministry of Higher Education and Training yesterday appointed twelve education experts to sit on the board of the South African Qualification Authority.

Former president Thabo Mbeki said in his latest letter that President Robert Mugabe delayed his controversial land restitution programme to protect negotiations to end apartheid in South Africa.

Equal Education said it will picket outside Parliament when Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan presents his Budget.

And, former president Thabo Mbeki said in his latest letter that the US and UK wanted President Robert Mugabe removed so badly that South Africa had to send government minister Lindiwe Sisulu to tell them to back off.

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That’s a roundup of news making headlines today