Good news for motorists in Cape Town, and a call to scrap petrol taxes

Traffic fines and demerit points issued to motorists under the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) Act will apply to all individuals, even if they do not possess a learner or driver’s licence.

According to Driving.co.za managing director Rob Handfield-Jones, these points will be tied to a person’s identity number and transferred to any licence they may acquire.

What’s more, these points will not begin to expire until the person acquires a valid licence. Under normal circumstances, demerit points will disappear at a rate of one every three months.

Meanwhile, oil prices dropped again today as traders assessed fresh diplomatic efforts in the Middle East to avoid a potential restart of US military strikes on Iran.

Brent Crude fell below $114 per barrel after US Vice President JD Vance reached out to Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s top security body, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

“Headlines like this can move prices,” said Rebecca Babin, senior energy trader at CIBC Private Wealth Group.

“Any indication of communication between senior officials on both sides may be enough to prompt some profit-taking, and take a bit of that risk premium out.”

However, US President Donald Trump has given frequent signals that he will resume the campaign against Iran after the midterm elections on 3 November.

5 important things

Good news for anyone renewing their car licence in Cape Town: The Brackenfell vehicle licencing centre is extending its drive-thru hours to assist more motorists with licence renewals ahead of the festive season. The facility’s hours will run from 07h00 to 18h00 until 31 December 2026 [TopAuto].

Takealot drivers drove enough to do 8,844 laps around South Africa in 9 months: Takealot revealed that its drivers have covered 43 million kilometres since the start of the year. More than five million people use its platform annually, requiring a network of over 15,000 drivers to fulfill orders [MyBroadband].

Call to scrap R6.54 per litre fuel taxes in South Africa: The Automobile Association has called on Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to scrap the General Fuel Levy and RAF Levy. It also demanded that the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources make its review of the basic fuel price formula public [Daily Investor].

Warning for anyone using their driving licence as ID: The Department of Home Affairs has warned South Africans that they cannot use their driver’s licences as a form of identification when they vote on Wednesday, 4 November. Only Smart IDs, green ID books, and valid temporary ID certificates will be accepted [BusinessTech].

Geely profit climbs thanks to rising exports: Geely’s profit climbed in the third quarter thanks to surging exports, offsetting the brand’s weaker performance in China where competition is fierce. Geely is one of several Chinese carmakers increasingly looking to overseas markets to avoid price wars at home [Bloomberg].