South Africa’s longest road tunnel, and SARS’ gift for diesel buyers

The South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) is making progress on N2 and N3 road infrastructure upgrades worth R52 billion in KwaZulu-Natal.

It revealed this during an eThekwini Municipality Executive Committee meeting, providing updates on its projects designed to ease traffic congestion and bolster vital transport corridors.

SANRAL KwaZulu-Natal Head Dudley Mbambo said the N2 programme, which covers a 55km stretch from the Lovu River to uMdloti, comprises 11 work packages valued at approximately R19 billion

He explained that two of these packages, valued at R6.6 billion, are currently under construction, with one of them nearly complete.

The KwaMashu to uMdloti project is 96% complete and scheduled for completion by 2 November 2026, while the EB Cloete Interchange project is 44.6% complete and expected to be completed in September 2028.

The N3 project, which covers 80km between Pietermaritzburg and Durban, has 15 work packages valued at approximately R33 billion.

The bad news is that global Brent crude oil prices are back to over $100 per barrel – $105 to be exact – after briefly dipping into double digits only a few days ago.

However, the US and Iran are locked in talks and exploring a phased deal that would see Tehran reopen the Strait of Hormuz once Washington lifts its economic blockade of Iran.

The two states, which have failed to reach agreements for months, reportedly met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York this week.

In the meantime, the South African rand has weakened slightly against the greenback, with a single US dollar costing R16.40 this morning.

5 important things

South Africa’s longest tunnel connecting two historic towns: The Huguenot Tunnel near Cape Town forms part of the N1 national road and extends through the Du Toitskloof mountains, connecting Paarl at its western portal with Worcester at its eastern portal. Spanning 3.9km, it is not only South Africa’s longest road tunnel, but also the longest road tunnel in Africa [TopAuto].

R1,000.80 diesel price pain in South Africa: South African motorists with diesel-powered cars are paying up to R1,000.80 more to fill their tanks in September 2026 than they were at the start of the year. Petrol and diesel prices have surged in South Africa in 2026, with diesel motorists being the hardest hit [MyBroadband].

SARS’ gift to South African farmers who use diesel: South Africa’s agricultural sector has been thrown a lifeline in the form of a complete overhaul of the country’s diesel refund system. The South African Revenue Service (SARS) announced it would separate its diesel refund registration system from its value-added tax (VAT) registration system [Daily Investor].

Transnet spent R38.6 billion on trains, and it cannot use 361 of them: Transnet spent R38.6 billion on 1,164 locomotives to upgrade its fleet and meet projected rail freight demand. Today, it cannot use 361 of those trains. These trains are standing out of service due to a lack of spare parts, with the original equipment manufacturers suspending contracts with Transnet [Newsday].

2027 Bentley Torcal revealed as Bentley’s first EV: Bentley has officially whipped the wraps off its first-ever EV. The Bentley Torcal is equipped with a pair of permanent magnet synchronous electric motors producing 653kW and 1,350Nm — the highest torque output of any Bentley to date — in the S model [CarMag].