For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Halima Frost.

Making headlines: R10bn in temporary fuel-levy relief announced amid record fuel prices; Fiscal-anchor legislation released for comment to protect ‘hard-won gains’; And, Nigeria reports first Ebola case in a decade

R10bn in temporary fuel-levy relief announced amid record fuel prices

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced another round of temporary reductions to the fuel levy in response to a surge in fuel prices to record levels, following global disruptions to supply that have arisen after the US and Israel declared war on Iran earlier in the year.

The fuel levy for diesel will be reduced by R3 a litre from November 4 to December 1, while the fuel levy applicable to petrol will be reduced by R1.50 a litre over the same period.

The diesel levy will then be reduced by R1.50 a litre and petrol by R1 a litre until January 5, 2027.

These measures will provide R10-billion in support, at a fiscal cost of R10-billion in foregone revenue.

To fund this support, the R10-billion that was transferred to the Central Energy Fund will be returned to the National Revenue Fund to finance this relief,” the Minister stated in his Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement.

Earlier in the year, temporary fuel-levy relief was also introduced between April to June at cost of about R22-billion.

Fiscal-anchor legislation released for comment to protect ‘hard-won gains

Meanwhile, Godongwana used the occasion of the 2026 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement to release draft legislation for public comment aimed at integrating a principles-based fiscal anchor as a requirement for future administrations, but without introducing a rigid numerical rule.

Speaking to lawmakers against the backdrop of a narrowing in the main Budget deficit and a stabilisation in the debt-to-GDP ratio, Godongwana argued that the “hard-won gains made must be protected”.

Debt had stabilised at 78.4% of GDP and was forecast to decline further, the main budget deficit of 3.7% of GDP in the current year was forecast to decline to 2.5% in 2029/30, and the primary surplus is expected to reach 1.7% of GDP in 2026/27.

The National Treasury has also made a R70.8-billion upward revision to its main budget revenue estimates over the next two years on the back of stronger-than-expected tax revenue projections.

The Minister explained that this is the reason why this Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement proposes a new set of fiscal guardrails to strengthen discipline, improve accountability and support responsible budgeting into the future.

The proposed legislation would seek to prevent any return to the fiscal deterioration that characterised the period from the global financial crisis to the early 2020s.

And, Nigeria reports first Ebola case in a decade

Nigeria reported its first Ebola case in about a decade after a foreign woman living in the capital tested positive for the viral infection after arriving from Uganda.

A senior public health official told a local television station the woman is "originally from Uganda and so made a quick travel to Uganda."

Uganda's health ministry said she had travelled to Democratic Republic of Congo, which is battling the world's second-largest Ebola outbreak on record with more than 9 000 cases and more than 4 000 deaths so far.

Assistant director of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, said the Ebola patient arrived in Nigeria on October 5 and started feeling unwell on October 7.

She sought treatment in a private hospital on October 11 for malaria-like symptoms and was tested for Ebola on October 19.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today

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