Bad news for Cape Town motorists, and relief grants under pressure

Here’s what is happening in and affecting South Africa today:

• Bad news for Cape Town motorists: An unexpected shutdown at the Astron Energy Refinery in Milnerton has caused delays in fuel deliveries to stations throughout Cape Town this week. Several petrol stations in and around the city are running low on fuel, leading motorists to travel outside the city to fill up. Siganeko Magafela, the head of supply security at the Fuels Industry Association of South Africa, stated that the cause of the unplanned shutdown has not yet been determined. [EWN]

• Former Joburg Mayor faces fraud allegations: Former Joburg Mayor and Community Development MMC, Kabelo Gwamanda, has been placed on special leave after being charged with fraud. It is alleged that he and a business partner were involved in a scam targeting Soweto residents years before he held the keys to the City. Gwamanda is believed to have collected money for funeral policies that simply didn’t pay. [eNCA]

• Western Cape mass shooting: Detectives from the Anti-Gang Unit in the Western Cape are pursuing gunmen who opened fire on a gathering in Mamre on Wednesday night, resulting in the instant deaths of five people and serious injuries to five others. [News 24]

• Relief grants under pressure: Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe has pledged to investigate allegations of fraud related to the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant. Stellenbosch University students Veer Gosai and Joel Cedras found that they were registered for the grant without applying, prompting them to study a sample of 60 students. They discovered that 56 were similarly registered without applications. The students were invited by the Portfolio Committee on Social Development to share their findings. [SABC]

• Markets: The South African rand decreased on Wednesday against a strong dollar amid expectations that the Federal Reserve won’t quickly cut interest rates and growing uncertainty about the outcome of next month’s U.S. election. On Thursday (24 October), the rand was trading at R17.78 to the dollar, R22.99 to the pound, and R19.18 to the euro. Oil is trading at $75.84 a barrel. [Reuters]