For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Thabi Madiba

Making headlines: Outa says 'e-tolls cannot be resurrected', Ramaphosa says he will discuss Zim's energy woes with Eskom and, the Reserve Bank stresses importance of independence

Outa says 'e-tolls cannot be resurrected'

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse says it is willing to help government resolve the e-tolls impasse following a social media spat between Finance Minister Tito Mboweni and Gauteng Premier David Makhura over the province's decision to reject e-tolls.

Outa said government could have used the fuel levy to fund the swelling Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project debt as proposed years ago.

Mboweni took to Twitter on Friday and lambasted Makhura for his stance against e-tolls.

Meanwhile, Makhura said that he has referred the e-tolls matter to President Cyril Ramaphosa for final resolution and added that the recent engagements he has had with transport minister Fikile Mbalula have been positive.

Ramaphosa says he will discuss Zim's energy woes with Eskom

President Cyril Ramaphosa has said he will discuss Zimbabwe's energy woes with Eskom, adding that boosting the supply of electricity to South Africa's northern neighbour requires a "balancing act". 

The president was speaking on the sidelines of the 12th Extraordinary Summit on the Continental Free Trade Area in Niger, after discussions with his Zimbabwean counterpart, President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Zimbabwe started implementing rotational load shedding in May, due to a combination of low water levels at Kariba Dam's hydroelectric power plant, generation constraints at ageing power stations and limited foreign imports. 

Reserve Bank stresses importance of independence

The South African central bank's independence is an important check on government-controlled fiscal policy, a central bank deputy governor said on Tuesday, following a high-profile row over the role of the bank.

Some senior officials in the governing ANC have this year called for the South African Reserve Bank to explicitly target economic growth and job creation while those aligning themselves with President Cyril Ramaphosa rejected the call to change the bank's mandate and reassured investors that the independence of the SARB was not under threat.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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