Court Upholds Fuel Levy Increase
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana's court victory upheld the fuel levy increase announced in his May budget, meaning motorists will pay an extra 16 cents per litre for petrol and 15 cents for diesel, reports EWN. The increase, however, coincides with June's fuel price adjustment, which will see petrol prices decrease by five cents a litre and diesel drop by 37 cents a litre, offering motorists a slight reprieve from the hiked levy. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) had challenged the levy in court, arguing it disproportionately affect the poor and required parliamentary approval, but the Western Cape High Court dismissed their application.
Inquest Team to Inspect Scene Where Cradock Four Bodies Were Found
The Eastern Cape High Court in Gqeberha, presiding over the inquest into the deaths of the Cradock Four, is expected to visit Blue Water Bay, the site where the activists' burnt-out vehicle and bodies were discovered in 1985, reports SABC News. Matthew Goniwe, Fort Calata, Sparrow Mkhonto, and Sicelo Mhlauli, all anti-apartheid activists, are believed to have been killed by the apartheid security branch while leaving Gqeberha. The inquest's legal team conducted inspections in Nxuba, including stops at the local police station, the Goniwe family home, and Olifantskop Pass, where the men were abducted.
Asbestos Trial Resumes Without Moroadi Cholota After Extradition Overturn
The asbestos corruption trial resumes at the Bloemfontein High Court, now without Moroadi Cholota, the former secretary to ex-Free State Premier Ace Magashule, after a court overturned her extradition from the U.S, reports EWN. The judgment found the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA)'s extradition request unlawful and unconstitutional. Cholota, initially a State witness turned accused, claimed her prosecution was part of a witch hunt against Magashule. The State in the asbestos corruption trial will now have to make its case against Magashule and 16 others without Cholota as a witness or as an accused.
