For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Thabi Madiba.

Making headlines: DA, OUTA gear up for mass protests against rising fuel prices; Nearly 2 000 Zimbabwean voters turned away at Masvingo province polls; And, VBS bank curator to ask court for provisional sequestration order against Vele Investments CEO

 

DA, OUTA gear up for mass protests against rising fuel prices

Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane and Ben Theron of the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse are preparing for a mass protest against fuel price hikes in Pretoria today.

Last week, Maimane said the recent continuous increases were bringing ordinary South Africans to their knees.

Maimane said 2018 will be remembered as the year in which the ANC government declared war on poor South Africans through relentless tax increases.

A 20% reduction in the fuel levy and the tabling of an urgent debate in Parliament regarding the structure of the Road Accident Fund are on Maimane's list of demands.

He said that the increase in fuel levies, meant for the RAF, could not be justified as the fund had a history of continued mismanagement.

 

Nearly 2 000 Zimbabwean voters turned away at Masvingo province polls

Close to 2 000 people were turned away from voting in Masvingo province by 11.30 am yesterday as their names were either not on the voters’ roll or they had reported at the wrong polling stations, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission said.

News Day today quoted ZEC provincial elections officer Maxwell Ncube as saying out of 113 784 voters who cast their ballots by 11.30 am, 1 725 were turned away as they did not appear on the roll.

Approximately 585 785 voters were registered in Masvingo out of a total of 1.5-million people. ZEC assisted 14 675 voters with more men turning out to vote than women.

In Masvingo Central, Build Zimbabwe Alliance polling agents were denied access to all polling stations. The party’s candidate, Ranganai Pazorora, who is also its secretary-general, made frantic efforts to sort the issue out at the district command centre.

In Matabeleland North and South provinces, thousands of voters cast their vote in various constituencies but turnout was low in most rural constituencies.

 

And, VBS bank curator to ask court for provisional sequestration order against Vele Investments CEO

The curator of VBS bank will head back to court today to ask for a provisional sequestration order to be granted against Robert Madzonga, the chief executive of Vele Investments - the banks biggest shareholder.

The application is set to be heard in the high court in Johannesburg. VBS curator Anoosh Rooplal is trying to recover at least R1.5-billion which was allegedly looted by Madzonga, a former VBS chief operating officer, and other executives in what was described in court papers as a "fraudulent scheme of epic proportions".

Madzonga and other executives are accused of looting funds from the bank to fund Vele Investments and to finance their extravagant lifestyles.

The SA Reserve Bank placed VBS under curatorship in March and its annual financial statements were found to be inaccurate. 

 

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

To keep in touch with the news while you are on the move, visit m.polity.org.za