New N1 toll road, and R200 million worth of cocaine found at OR Tambo airport

The City of Cape Town has commenced a project to upgrade a section of the M3 in Newlands to reduce congestion.

The M3 is an important road that connects the southern suburbs, such as West Lake, Tokai, Constantia, Wynberg, and Newlands, to the city centre.

However, Newlands is a massive bottleneck these days, as the M3 passes through a densely populated area with multiple schools in close proximity.

The City has therefore launched a multiphase project to upgrade the road to improve traffic flow and create a more seamless travel experience for motorists passing through the southern suburbs.

In other news, oil prices fell from $116 to $114 per barrel over the weekend as US President Donald Trump announced that he was getting close to making a deal with Tehran.

Brent Crude has surged more than 85% since the start of the war. Yemen’s Houthi rebels are still targeting energy targets in Saudi Arabia. Trump hinted that attacks may resume after the US midterms on 3 November.

“The rise in fighting in the region, combined with the worries that escalation is around the corner, means that oil markets need to price in the risk of oil and refined-product inventory depletion,” said Commonwealth Bank of Australia analyst Vivek Dhar.

“We see Brent oil futures needing to rise as high as $150 a barrel to compel uncontrolled demand destruction, where high prices force lower demand, in emerging Asian economies.”

5 important things

New N1 toll road for South Africa: Transport Minister Barbara Creecy confirmed that another section of the N1 is under consideration for a new toll road. The new tolls will cover a 1.1km stretch of road in Limpopo in the Musina municipality towards the South Africa-Zimbabwe border. [TopAuto].

VW Polo Vivo beaten by EV in almost every category: South Africa’s cheapest electric car, the Geely E2, boasts more power, better safety, a more spacious interior, and more tech than the nation’s most affordable locally-produced car, the VW Polo Vivo [MyBroadband].

R200 million worth of cocaine intercepted at OR Tambo: Five luggage bags with 216 blocks of cocaine, weighing 250kg and worth R200 million, have been intercepted at OR Tambo International Airport. The bust was conducted by the SAPS, SARS, Customs, and the Border Management Authority. [Newsday].

Trouble for anyone who owns a Chinese car: South Africans who bought Chinese vehicles face steep depreciation when attempting to trade them in, with some individuals owing banks more than their cars are worth. [BusinessTech].

Calls for more petrol price relief: Multiple political parties have called on the National Treasury to extend its fuel tax relief measure from January to February 2027. This comes after the Finance Minister announced a temporary cut in the General Fuel Levy of between R1.50 and R3.00 per litre for petrol and diesel, respectively. [EWN].