R14 petrol on the cards for South Africa, a new airport for Cape Town, and Joburg cracks down on WeBuyCars, Engen, and GWM

These were the five biggest stories in South Africa’s transport industry this week.

R14 per litre petrol on the cards for South Africa

The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources is finally following up on its promise to review South Africa’s fuel price formula to reduce the cost of petrol and diesel.

In 2024, the department’s minister, Gwede Mantashe, stated that motorists should be paying R14 per litre of fuel, arguing that fuel prices in South Africa had been distorted to over R20 per litre due to increases in taxes such as the General Fuel Levy and the Road Accident Fund Levy.

Two years later, the department has published its annual performance plan for 2026/2027, revealing that the review of South Africa’s fuel price formula will proceed.

Joburg cracks down on WeBuyCars, Geely, Jeep, Engen, Chery, iCAUR, and GWM

The City of Johannesburg is ramping up efforts to remove illegal billboards across the metro, affecting several major car brands.

The removals, led by City manager Floyd Brink, are being conducted by the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department in partnership with the Joburg Property Company and City Power.

Some of the carmakers that were highlighted by the recent crackdown include Jeep, Geely, Chery, iCAUR, and GWM. It is often unclear whether the brands featured on these billboards are even aware of their existence, as companies typically outsource their outdoor advertising to specialists.

Official petrol price decreases for July announced

The Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources has announced the official fuel price adjustments for July 2026.

Both petrol and diesel saw an appreciable reduction this Wednesday, with the former dropping by roughly R2 per litre and the latter by over R3.50 per litre.

The reductions would have been higher, too, were it not for the General Fuel Levy, which the National Treasury reintroduced this month, officially ending the government’s fuel price relief efforts.

Cape Town is getting a new private airport

The City of Cape Town is getting a new private airport capable of receiving small jets and other light aircraft.

Known as the Atlantic Aerodrome, the new site aims to become an aviation hub for the Mother City, offering charter services, a flight school, and social spaces.

Located roughly 40 minutes away from the Cape Town CBD, the new airport is set to open its doors on 26 September 2026.

R6 billion upgrade for one of South Africa’s most important roads

The South African National Roads Agency has announced the start of construction along an 11.1km stretch of the N3 highway between the Mariannhill Toll Plaza and Key Ridge.

The R6-billion project forms part of the roads agency’s strategic programme to improve a key freight and mobility corridor, and is expected to take around 60 months, or five years, to complete.

In a bid to secure the safety of construction workers and road users, the speed limit along the route has been reduced to 40km/h for heavy vehicles and 60km/h for light motor vehicles during construction.