Bad news about petrol prices, and the drivers taking over South Africa’s roads

A Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) officer has been accused of taking R1.5 million in cash bribes in a single day.

In total, 456 cases of corruption, theft, fraud, and extortion were recorded in Gauteng between 2022 and 2026, equating to roughly 114 per year, with 185 of these incidents recorded at the JMPD.

Of this total, 47 officers were suspended or reassigned, and 16 were dismissed. However, it is not known how many have been criminally prosecuted, reported Newsday.

Elmarie de Beer, an Internal Affairs worker at the JMPD, said the department did not know how much money was involved in corruption and extortion cases involving their officers.

However, she did reveal that the single largest amount taken by a JMPD official in a single day was R1.5 million in cash.

In the meantime, Brent crude oil prices are rapidly approaching the $100 per barrel mark, sitting at $99.33 per barrel this morning.

This comes after the war in the Middle East intensified yesterday, with Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen launching strikes on several cities in Saudi Arabia.

Attempts were also made to hit a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles, to which the US military responded by destroying five Iranian tankers carrying crude.

In turn, Iran then responded by firing missiles at Jordan and warning ships in the Persian Gulf of imminent attacks.

Saudi Arabia has diverted some exports away from the Strait of Hormuz, but analysts warned that sustained attacks could complicate efforts to keep crude flowing to global markets.

At the same time, the South African rand weakened slightly against the US dollar and is trading at R15.99 against the greenback this morning.

5 important things

South Africa facing record-high petrol prices next month: The price of petrol is set to reach a new record high in October 2026 unless the situation in the Middle East improves. New data from the Central Energy Fund (CEF) shows that petrol and diesel prices are likely to experience a massive under-recovery. Petrol is currently on track for an under-recovery of between R1.81 and R1.93 per litre, while diesel will experience an under-recovery of between R1.73 and R2.03 per litre [TopAuto].

The drivers taking over South Africa’s roads: Since entering the South African market at the start of the decade, grocery delivery services have continued to be a growth engine for several of the country’s retailers. One of the biggest players in the on-demand grocery delivery sector is Shoprite, through its Checkers and Shoprite Sixty60 service [BusinessTech].

New Mitsubishi Pajero hybrid and plug-in hybrid 4WDs confirmed: Mitsubishi’s plans for a hybrid Pajero have been revealed. A senior Japanese official said the company is advanced in developing two hybrid Pajero 4WDs. The company is working on a conventional hybrid and a plug-in hybrid version of the rugged new off-roader [CarsGuide].

Trump government criticises Ford over Chinese partnerships: US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blasted Ford over its business ties with major players in China’s auto industry, drawing a fiery response from the leading US car manufacturer [Bloomberg].

Dutch flying car approved for take-off by 2028: Dutch flying car maker PAL-V has been given the go-ahead to start building something that could be in the skies in 2028. The European aviation safety agency EASA gave the company, based in Noord-Brabant, a production licence, meaning it now has every permit it needs to begin building. It first began designing flying cars 20 years ago [DutchNews].