Mbalula blames Trump for high cost of living in kwaNyuswa

• ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula says high fuel prices come from US President Donald Trump’s fight with Iran, and that R10-billion in relief is not for the elections.

• Ward 2 candidate Siphiwe Bulose says he has met churches and traditional leaders, and the South African Communist Party in KwaZulu-Natal says it backs the ANC for the 4 November elections.

ANC secretary general Fikile Mbalula has blamed US President Donald Trump for the high cost of living felt by rural communities.

Mbalula spoke to residents of ward 2 in kwaNyuswa, west of Durban, on Friday. He said people in rural areas are struggling because Trump picked a fight with Iran, which then shut the Strait of Hormuz and pushed up fuel prices in South Africa and around the world.

Oil prices rose after the United States and Israel attacked Iran in late February. Iran has since limited shipping through the strait, which carries about a fifth of the world’s oil.

Mbalula said Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has set aside R10-billion to ease fuel costs. He said the minister is not doing this for the elections, and “that’s what you need to know”.

The relief cuts the fuel levy by R1.50 a litre on petrol and R3 a litre on diesel from 4 November.

Mbalula also backed ward 2 candidate Siphiwe Bulose. He said the ANC is happy that Bulose was chosen through a smooth process in the eThekwini region. He said it was the first time the ANC in eThekwini picked candidates peacefully, without killings.

He said he was also surprised that there was no protest against him and the regional leaders at the party’s eThekwini gathering, as there were at past election gatherings.

Bulose told the gathering that he was humbled when residents asked him to stand. He said he has met churches, traditional leaders and sports groups to hear what they want. He said he has told them what he plans to do for the ward on infrastructure and the economy if he wins.

The South African Communist Party (SACP) in KwaZulu-Natal also backed the ANC and Bulose. Provincial secretary Nomarashiya Caluza said the party is fully behind the ANC, although some SACP leaders are campaigning for the SACP against it.

Local government elections are on 4 November.