Vehicle crime ramped up towards end of last year, says Tracker

Tracker’s vehicle crime statistics for July to December last year show an increase in vehicle crime, with a peak in November. Data from the asset tracking company also shows that a business-owned... 

Premium car market outlook murky as South Africans continue to hunt for Asian bargains

The South African new-car market has been shifting steadily over the last few years as consumers continue to battle persistent economic headwinds. Times are tough. Interest rates, living costs,... 

New-vehicle sales slide continues

New-vehicle sales declined by 3.8% in January, to 41 636 units, compared with the same month last year. This continued the decline in new-vehicle sales witnessed in the last five months of 2023. 

Antidumping duties to be slapped on Chinese windscreens

The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition will impose antidumping duties on windscreens imported from China, to be used in the Southern African Customs Union (Sacu) area as replacement... 

Initial signs energy supply is stabilising, logistics to endure for longer – Minerals Council 

The domestic mining industry is looking at 2024 as a year of stabilisation, rather than growth, says Minerals Council South Africa CEO Mzila Mthenjane. The industry continues to face persistent... 

Electric buses to be rolled out in Tshwane, eThekwini

Tshwane and eThekwini could see the roll-out of 39 electric commuter buses by the end of next year. The introduction of the zero-emissions vehicles will form part of a pilot project funded by the... 

Cape Town recovers 53 km of stolen cable, 1.2 t of metal

The City of Cape Town’s (CoCT’s) specialist metals theft unit, the Copperheads, recovered more then 53 km of stolen cable during the last six months of 2023. The unit says it executed 404... 

Transnet needs ‘the right, permanent management, quickly’ – Stellenbosch University academic

State-owned rail and port operator Transnet could, potentially, show significant improvement this year, compared with last year’s dismal performance, says transport economist and macrologistics... 

Construction of Stellantis’ R3bn Coega auto assembly plant poised to start in May

Construction work on Stellantis’ assembly plant in the Coega Special Economic Zone, in the Eastern Cape, should kick off in May, says the vehicle manufacturer’s new CEO, Mike Whitfield. The start... 

Initial signs that energy sector is stabilising; logistics to take longer – Minerals Council 

The domestic mining industry is looking at 2024 as a year of stabilisation, rather than growth, says Minerals Council South Africa CEO Mzila Mthenjane. The industry continues to face persistent... 

Cape Town reports nearly R4bn boost from 2023 events

The City of Cape Town has reported an almost R4-billion boost from the raft of events hosted in the Western Cape capital last year. The events include Africa’s first Netball World Cup, the ICC... 

Multibillion-rand Cape Winelands Airport aims to receive first passengers in 2027  

 Cape Town’s proposed second big commercial airport, Cape Winelands Airport (CWA), should receive its first passengers in 2027, says RSA.Aero MD Nick Ferguson. RSA.Aero is the project developer,... 

Port of Maputo reports record volume for 2023

The Maputo Port Development Company (MPDC) says the Port of Maputo achieved a record volume of 31.2-million tons in 2023, up 16% on the previous year. MPDC is a public–private partnership between... 

Transnet needs ‘the right, permanent management, quickly’ – Havenga

State-owned rail and port operator Transnet could, potentially, show significant improvement this year compared with last year’s dismal performance, says transport economist and macrologistics... 

Ashok Leyland enters Southern African market with Dost workhorse

India’s Ashok Leyland has entered the Southern African commercial vehicle market with its Dost 1.5 l ℓturbodiesel workhorse. Headquartered in Chennai, with nine manufacturing plants, Ashok Leyland... 

Bell Equipment founder’s grandson named CEO

Bell Equipment has appointed Ashley Jon Bell (41), grandson of company founder Irvine Bell, as new group CEO, effective January 1. This follows the July resignation of outgoing group CEO Leon... 

City of Cape Town issues independent power tender

The City of Cape Town has issued the latest in a series of power-related tenders aimed at mitigating the impact of loadshedding and diversifying its energy supply from Eskom. The city says this is... 

Metair appoints O’Flaherty as new CEO

Automotive and energy group Metair has appointed Paul O’Flaherty its new CEO, starting from February 1. This follows Sjoerd Douwenga’s resignation at the end of last year. 

Takealot rolls out ten JAC battery-powered delivery trucks

Online retailer Takealot has deployed ten JAC N75 EV battery electric trucks to make deliveries in Gauteng and the Western Cape. The company in November welcomed four N75 four-ton electric trucks... 

DTSA launches online parts platform

Daimler Truck Southern Africa (DTSA) has launched a new e-commerce platform – the Daimler Truck Parts Portal. The platform works on a click-and-collect basis, which means customers can buy parts... 

Eagle Eye Defence aims to roll out in-vehicle biometric security system this year

South African startup Eagle Eye Defence has developed an in-vehicle security system that uses fingerprint verification to start the powertrain. Cofounder Iviwe Mosana describes Eagle Eye Defence as... 

SA-made nature-mimicking shark-barrier tech scores first commercial installation

The ecofriendly SharkSafe Barrier technology, developed by marine biologists at Stellenbosch University (SU) and their collaborators, and manufactured in the Western Cape, has been installed at a... 

DHL to test Volkswagen’s electric ID.Buzz Cargo vans in South Africa

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has partnered with DHL Express for the pilot testing of the electric ID.Buzz Cargo van in South Africa. Four ID.Buzz Cargo units have been placed at DHL Express... 

Vehicle sales up 0.5% in 2023 – Naamsa

New-vehicle sales in the domestic market inched up by 0.5% in 2023 compared with 2022, says Naamsa | The Automotive Business Council. This follows jumps of 13.9% in 2022 and 22.2% in 2021. 

Barloworld expects slowdown in mining equipment sales as commodity cycle cools

Barloworld expects a 10% to 15% decline in the 2024 Southern African mining equipment industry on the back of slowing commodity demand and weak commodity prices. “Having said that, we are... 

Transnet expects 175 vessel calls as cruise liner season opens

Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) says it expects 175 vessel calls at South African port cities in the 2023/24 cruise liner season, which opened earlier this month. The vessels are expected... 

Volkswagen, Egyptian govt to undertake feasibility study on shared painting facility

Volkswagen and the government of Egypt have signed an agreement to develop a feasibility study on a shared automotive painting facility in the East Port Said Automotive Zone (EPAZ) within the East... 

Cape Town to announce preferred bidders for power projects in mid-2024

The preferred bidders for the City of Cape Town’s 200 MW embedded independent power producer programme will be announced in mid-2024, says Energy MMC Beverley van Reenen. The first power from these... 

Toyota Gazoo Racing SA to contest Dakar 2024 with three new crews as Al-Attiyah bows out

Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa (TGR SA) will field three crews at the 2024 Dakar Rally, with all three drivers hailing from South Africa.  Former TGR SA star and Dakar 2023 overall winner Nasser... 

GWM launches its first EV in South Africa – priced below R700 000 

Great Wall Motors (GWM), also the owner of the Haval brand, has launched its first electric vehicle (EV) in the domestic market. Ora is the Chinese carmaker’s new-energy-vehicle-specific brand,... 

Business vehicles twice as likely to be hijacked as stolen – Tracker

Tracker statistics for the period January to June show that hijackings still dominate national vehicle crime, accounting for 55% of incidents, versus theft at 45%.  However, while the... 

Report shows uptick in truck collisions

The 2023 Webfleet Road Safety Report shows a jump in collisions involving trucks this year, at 1 313 incidents, compared with 1 252 collisions in 2022. The survey for the report was conducted... 

PRASA sets sights on big recovery in passenger trips by 2030

Like many other State-owned entities, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) has had its share of scandals. Its board chairperson was fired following an investigation into abuse of PRASA... 

China’s cheaper EVs challenging Western market dominance – report

A divide in the global transition to electric vehicles (EVs) has emerged as Chinese manufacturers seem to be rushing ahead of their Western counterparts in the production and sale of EVs.  This is... 

Stellantis to launch Strada half-tonner in sub-Saharan Africa, excluding S Africa

Stellantis has announced that it will launch the Fiat Strada half-ton bakkie in left-hand-drive markets in sub-Saharan Africa, starting this month. This excludes South Africa, where the Strada was... 

Contractors urge dialogue on the back of 88 liquidations

Contract changes within the construction industry and conditions that are slashing margins are becoming a growing threat to contractors, “contributing to the downward spiral of the construction... 

Mercedes-Benz SA, BEE partner to roll out 127 electric vehicle charging stations

Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA) will roll out 127 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across the country in a R40-million investment. As demand for EVs continues to grow, “ensuring robust... 

Barloworld expects slowdown in mining equipment sales as commodity cycle cools

Barloworld expects a 10% to 15% decline in the 2024 Southern African mining equipment industry on the back of slowing commodity demand and weak commodity prices. “Having said that, we are... 

Increased exposure, cost concerns among insights revealed by AutoTrader’s EV buyers survey

AutoTrader’s 2023 South Africa Electric Vehicle (EV) Buyers Survey shows that 63% of respondents believe they would purchase an EV within the next five years, down from 65% in 2022. Some marginally... 

Avis launches iLease as an alternative to vehicle ownership

Avis Fleet has introduced iLease, the company’s first leasing product in South Africa. iLease allows consumers the use of a vehicle for any duration between 12 and 48 months, as an alternative to...