Challenging trade environment dents Grindrod’s profit

Grindrod encountered a “very challenging environment” in the first six months of the year, says CEO Xolani Mbambo. “It’s been difficult.” 

Sanral announces start of new R2.2bn phase of the N2 Wild Coast Road project

South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) CEO Reginald Demana has announced the start of Package 4 of the N2 Wild Coast Road (N2WCR) project in the Eastern Cape. The R2.2-billion phase... 

Ogihara SA breaks ground on new R1.2bn auto body-part plant in Durban

CFAO South Africa (SA) subsidiary Toyota Tsusho Africa and Ogihara Thailand have started construction of a new R1.2-billion plant that will produce vehicle body parts for Toyota South Africa Motors... 

NDB signs R5bn loan agreement with Transnet

The New Development Bank (NDB) on Friday signed a R5-billion loan agreement with State-owned freight transport and logistics group Transnet. The agreement was signed during the NDB’s ninth yearly... 

Akademia unveils R3.2bn plan for private higher education campus

Privately owned Afrikaans, Christian higher education institution Akademia has announced the development of a R3.2-billion campus in Pretoria East. The campus will be developed by real estate... 

PRASA terminates Matthews’ contract, sticks with Emeran as CEO

The board of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) has terminated Zolani Matthews’ employment with immediate effect. PRASA fired Matthews as CEO in 2021 for failing to disclose that he... 

Golden Arrow, Eskom in electric bus deal

Golden Arrow Bus Services (GABS) and power utility Eskom have signed a memorandum of cooperation (MoC) which sets out the terms for ongoing engagement related to GABS’ planned introduction of... 

WesBank introduces residential solar finance of up to R500 000

WesBank has added residential solar finance to its portfolio, extending its product mix beyond vehicle and leisure finance products. The new addition gives personal clients in South Africa access... 

N3 freeway truck chargers MoU signed

Zero Carbon Logistics (Zero CL) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Chinese heavy equipment manufacturer Sany to be the technology provider for its proposed off-grid electric truck... 

New-vehicle sales finally tick upwards

Total new-vehicle sales in July inched up by 1.5%, to 44 229 units, compared with the same month last year, driven by an improvement in the passenger-car market. July was only the second month,... 

Electric SUV under R400 000 launched

Pretoria-based importer and distributor of battery electric vehicles (EVs) Enviro Automotive has launched the Dayun Yuehu S5 mini sports-utility vehicle (SUV) in South Africa. The 3.6 m S5 is... 

Golden Arrow to acquire 120 electric buses from BYD

Cape Town’s Golden Arrow Bus Services (GABS) has signed a deal to acquire 120 electric buses from Chinese automotive powerhouse BYD, following four years of testing. Delivery of the 65-seater units... 

What auto industry wants from government to keep the wheels turning

South Africa’s seventh administration has taken office amidst a flagging domestic economy desperately seeking traction. The automotive industry, South Africa’s biggest manufacturing industry, has... 

Cape Town wants GNU to give it more policing powers, right to run passenger rail and more

The City of Cape Town’s top requests to the Government of National Unity (GNU) are for municipal police to have the powers to investigate crime; the devolvement of passenger rail to the city; the... 

Vayu Robotics launches autonomous delivery robot in the US, signs deal for 2 500 units

California-based Vayu Robotics has announced the real-world deployment of an autonomous on-road delivery robot. The robot, combining AI models with low-cost sensing, is being rolled out in the US... 

Egypt woos Volkswagen with body shop, assembly-line deal

In a new strategic cooperation agreement, Volkswagen Group Africa (VWA) and the government of Egypt will conduct a feasibility study on the construction of a body shop and assembly buildings in the... 

Balancell expands plant tenfold, seeks govt backing for energy storage industry

Energy storage company Balancell is moving into a new R80-million factory in Ndabeni, Cape Town, as the business gears up to grow its capacity roughly tenfold, says chief commercial officer Ian... 

Crestcare’s new R238m private hospital in Malmesbury to create employment for 170 people

The Crestcare Hospital Group has cut the ribbon on its newest development, the R238-million acute hospital in the Western Cape town of Malmesbury. Crestcare’s majority shareholder is black-owned... 

Hyundai targets fourth sales spot

Hyundai has set itself the goal to return to fourth position (in terms of market share) in the combined passenger and light commercial vehicle market, says Hyundai Automotive South Africa (Hyundai... 

Kia South Africa’s new CEO seeks to push market share beyond 5% by 2026

Kia South Africa has appointed Paul Turnbull as its new CEO. Turnbull joins the Korean brand from sibling Hyundai Automotive South Africa. He succeeds Gary Scott, who takes up the position of chief... 

‘Unconscionable’ to return allocated money instead of fixing potholes – Creecy

Transport Minister Barbara Creecy says “immediate attention” will be given to the “critical issue” of the underspending of funding allocated to road maintenance and road construction by both... 

Half of China’s NEV brands likely to fail, exports poised for steep growth

More than 130 brands are currently competing in China’s new-energy vehicle (NEV) market, says GlobalData Automotive Division China operations manager John Zeng. Three brands, however, dominate the... 

PRASA passenger numbers reach 40-million a year, increase by 167% – Emeran

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) is “making steady and significant progress in getting passenger trains back on track”, with the urban rail service carrying about 40-million... 

Auto market awaits return of consumer confidence, political clarity – TransUnion

The South African automotive sector continues to grapple with significant macroeconomic challenges, says TransUnion Africa CEO Lee Naik. Persistently high interest rates and negative economic... 

Traditional bakkie powerhouses to be challenged by buying-down trend, newcomers – WesBank

South Africa is bakkie country, dominated by Toyota’s Hilux as the country’s long-standing number-one-selling vehicle, with the Ford Ranger and the Isuzu D-Max also perennial favourites, among... 

Recovery in logistics sector continued in May, latest Ctrack index shows

The newest Ctrack Transport and Freight Index (Ctrack TFI) shows that the recent recovery in South Africa’s logistics sector continued in May, albeit at a slower pace. The index improved in May to... 

Damen signs new NIP agreement with dtic, celebrates more than 40 vessels built at Cape Town shipyard

Damen Shipyards Group (DSG) has signed a new strategic partnership agreement with the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic) as part of the National Industrial Participation (NIP)... 

Global EV sales growth continues, but significant slowdown in some markets – BloombergNEF

Electric vehicle (EV) markets around the world are not all travelling in the same direction, or at the same speed, in 2024, says research group BloombergNEF (BNEF) in its newest EV Outlook Report.... 

June new-vehicle sales 14% lower year-on-year as affordability woes bite

New-vehicle sales in South Africa dropped by 14% in June, to 40 072 units, compared with the same month last year. The new-passenger-car market reached 26 928 units last month – a decline of 9%... 

AA, Outa weigh in on new Transport Minister

Newly appointed Transport Minister Barbara Creecy is the eleventh minister in this portfolio since 1994, which is a cause for concern as continuity within government departments is vital, says the... 

Cape Town hits apartment developer with R1m penalty

Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has upheld a decision by the city’s Municipal Planning Tribunal to impose a record R1-million penalty for unauthorised construction work in Belville. The penalty... 

Cape Town introduces reversible MyCiTi bus lane to reduce congestion

The City of Cape Town’s Transport Network Technology branch is set to activate a reversible MyCiTi bus lane along the R27 between Loxton road and Broad road in Milnerton. This bus lane, for... 

Suppple launches AI health bot for AU member States

Cape Town- and London-based technology company Suppple launched an AI health bot at Africa Health ExCon, held in Egypt in June. Suppple says the health bot will provide digital healthcare... 

Ford celebrates one-millionth Ranger, says PHEV production to start before year-end

Ford South Africa (SA) has celebrated the assembly of the one-millionth Ranger at its Silverton plant in Pretoria. While the first million bakkies took 24 years, the second million is set to happen... 

Cape Town calls for private-sector intervention as port ranks worst in the world

According to the newly published World Bank Container Port Performance Index, compiled from 2023 data, the Port of Cape Town is the worst performing port in the world. It is joined in the bottom 16... 

Recovery in logistics sector continued in April despite ports being lashed by storms – Ctrack index

After declining in the first two months of the year, the Ctrack Transport and Freight Index (Ctrack TFI) continued its momentum in April to reach a level of 123.4 – an increase of 2.8% compared... 

Mercedes-Benz SA considers cutting 700 jobs on back of struggling economy, ports

Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) says it will move from three shifts a day at its East London plant to two shifts, in a move that could potentially cut 700 jobs. MBSA produces the C-Class for the... 

Yes, there are problems at SA ports, but World Bank report not entirely accurate – SAAFF

The newest World Bank Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) report, which places a number of South African ports at the bottom of the list, covers the crisis-ridden 2023 period, and does not take... 

New-vehicle sales down 14.2% as consumers suffer from election jitters

April’s 2.2% bump in new-vehicle sales proved to be an anomaly as new-vehicle sales again returned to negative territory in May, with the market down 14.2%, to 37 105 units, compared with the same... 

Logistics Crisis Committee’s work to continue, freight sector poised to transform in next two years

Business Unity South Africa (Busa) president Mxolisi Mgojo says he is confident that work within the National Logistics Crisis Committee (NLCC) will continue as political parties grapple to form a...