Top news items in major S. African media outlets

The following are highlights of South African major media outlets on Thursday.

-- MTN Group's six-month battle with Nigerian authorities over payment of a record fine has cost the company its seven-year status as Africa's highest-valued telecommunications operator, with that honour going to rival Vodacom.

MTN's market capitalisation was R244bn (about US$15.9bn) at the market close in Johannesburg on Wednesday, trailing Vodacom's R249bn (about US$16bn). (Business Day)

--Villages around Vuwani in Limpopo were back on the edge after protesters went back to barricading roads just moments after State Security Minister David Mahlobo led the clearing of blocked roads in the area.

The road from Elim to Vuwani was blockaded along Vyeboom village just after Mahlobo said calm had been restored in the area and that no incidents had been reported in the past 92 hours. (City Press)

-- ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe said he was worried that the decision by South Africa's top four banks to close the accounts of the Gupta-owned Oakbya Investments could become a trend of collusion between financial institutions.

Such a trend would involve the collusion of financial institutions to destroy small companies that posed a threat to bigger companies, he said. (Mail & Guardian) Endit