Daily news update: Ramaphosa hints at Cabinet reshuffle, Ngizwe Mchunu granted bail and Fuel price

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Will he or won’t he? Coy Ramaphosa hints at Cabinet reshuffle

President Cyril Ramaphosa has hinted that he is looking into reshuffling his Cabinet following the recent deadly unrest that engulfed parts of Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.

There have been growing calls from several quarters of society – including opposition parties – for Ramaphosa to fire some of his ministers after contradictory messages from security cluster ministers about the civil unrest.

Speaking on the sidelines of his visit to Rabasotho Community Centre in Tembisa, Ramaphosa said the issue around reshuffling Cabinet was receiving attention.

Alleged SA riots instigator, Ngizwe Mchunu, granted R2,000 bail

Former Ukhozi FM DJ, Ngizwe Mchunu, has been granted R2,000 bail by the Randburg Magistrate’s Court.

Mchunu, who is believed to be one of the alleged instigators behind the recent looting and violent unrest in parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, appeared in court on Thursday to argue his bail application.

He was initially denied bail following his first appearance in court last week.

The state had opposed his bail application, arguing that he was a flight risk.

Fuel price: Sharp increase in petrol and diesel on the cards for August

South African motorists could be facing a steep fuel price increase in August. The data released by the Central Energy Fund (CEF) shows a sizeable increase in both petrol and diesel prices.

Fuel price estimates for August

The fuel prices calculation depends on a number of factors, such as international oil prices, currency exchange rates and fuel taxes. At the time of publishing, the rand was listed R14.65 to the dollar, while Brent crude oil was trading at $75.15.

Sassa social grant payment dates confirmed for August 2021

The Department of Social Development on Thursday confirmed the payment dates for the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) grants for the month of August 2021.

Sassa social grant payments for August

• 3 August 2021: Older persons’ Grants
• 4 August 2021: Disability Grants
• 5 August 2021: All other grants

Sassa also confirmed that “there is no need to rush to withdraw cash on the first day”.

Condolences pour in for former ‘Isidingo’ actor Clive Scott

Beloved veteran actor Clive Scott has died, aged 84.

The actor’s daughter, Gudrun Scott Cleghorn, confirmed the news in a Facebook post. She posted that her father had passed away on Wednesday afternoon. The cause of his death not was stated.

“Clive, our beloved husband, father, grandfather, uncle and brother met Archangel Azrael at 14h30 today, surrounded by the love and light of loved ones who had passed before him.”

Wait is over: All-new Audi A3 and S3 priced

Audi officially took the covers off of the aggressive-looking, all-new A3 and S3 earlier on Thursday, ahead of sales commencing next month.

Like the international model, the A3 will be available locally as a five-door sportback and a four-door sedan, with the S3 following the same route.

Audi will initially be offering two engine options for both the Sportback and Sedan. The entry-level 35 TFSI, whose 1.4 TFSI sends 110kW/250Nm to the front wheels via an eight-speed Tiptronic transmission, and the 213kW/400Nm 2.0 TFSI in the all-wheel drive S3, which is mated to a seven-speed S tronic ‘box.