The AM Check-in | Fuel relief won’t ease cost-of-living squeeze

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ExpandPicture: SUPPLIED Fuel relief won’t ease cost-of-living squeezeThe fuel levy will be reduced by R3/l for diesel and R1.50/l for petrol from November 4 to December 1. Picture: Werner Hills Trade unions and organisations have warned that the government’s R10bn fuel relief is a temporary fix that will do little to ease the pain of soaring fuel prices and the rising cost of living.

The organisations said finance minister Enoch Godongwana’s fuel intervention offers only short-term breathing room while failing to address the wider impact of record fuel prices.

Godongwana stated in his medium-term budget policy statement in the National Assembly on Wednesday that the mining sector was the largest contributor to an R17.1bn upward revision in gross tax revenue. Provisional corporate tax collections outperformed expectations due to high platinum group metal and gold prices, giving the fiscus some relief.

The National Treasury allocated grant savings to fight gender-based violence and support vulnerable children, with director-general Duncan Pieterse announcing R3.8bn for social worker hiring and R1.6bn for support for pregnant women and children. Picture: Business Day/Freddy Mavunda The government expects to save R13bn in social grant payments over the medium term, freeing up extra money to help combat gender-based violence and reduce child stunting, the National Treasury announced on Wednesday.

An extra R3.8bn has been set aside for provinces to hire more than 3,500 social workers over the medium term, and an additional R1.6bn has been allocated to step up support for pregnant women and young children through the district health programmes grant.

Read: IN FULL | Finance minister Enoch Godongwana’s MTBPS speech

Police arrested a woman and her accomplice for allegedly staging her kidnapping in an attempt to extort R40,000 from her cousin. Picture: 123RF/Sakhorn Saengtongsamarnsin Police have arrested a 37-year-old woman together with an accomplice for allegedly staging her kidnapping in an attempt to extort R40,000 from her cousin.

The kidnapping was reported to police last Thursday and the woman was rescued on Saturday. She was found with injuries to her hands.

Gauteng police spokesperson Col Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said investigations revealed the woman allegedly conspired with her accomplice to stage the kidnapping in an attempt to extort money from her cousin.

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