Top news items in major S. African media outlets

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

-- Falling inflation expectations may have come at the perfect time for Reserve Bank governor Lesetja Kganyago, who is caught in a rate-increase cycle when ratings companies have told the country to boost growth or have its credit rating cut to junk.

The central bank said in May that inflation would return to its 3-6 percent target band in the third quarter of next year, three months sooner than it projected earlier. (Business Day)

-- Poor water-related infrastructure in the country has resulted in a state of disaster being declared in eight provinces as drought reaches critical levels, the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs said on Thursday. (News24)

-- The number of provinces declared as disaster areas because of the drought has risen from five to eight.

Gauteng remains the only province not to be declared a disaster area.(South African Broadcasting Corporation) Endit