Bicycles that must be registered as cars, a big win for Mercedes, and 60,000 missing driver’s licences

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

This bicycle must now be registered as a car in South Africa

A new amendment to the National Road Traffic Act stipulates that any electric pedal cycle that can operate in excess of 45km/h is now classified as a motor vehicle. 

This means that e-bikes must now be registered and licenced in South Africa, and that the owner must have a driver’s licence for that class of vehicle.

The City of Cape Town is currently requesting further information from the Department of Transport pertaining to how these regulations will affect e-bike usage across the country.

Big win for Mercedes-Benz in South Africa

The Port of East London’s car terminal has been doubled in capacity, now allowing for two full-size vehicle carrier vessels to dock simultaneously.

The port is a vital link for Mercedes-Benz, which exports the C-Class sedan from its nearby factory.

The larger port means the luxury carmaker will be able to significantly ramp up its export plans, boosting the local economy in the process.

60,000 applications, 0 cards – How driver’s licence renewals in South Africa really go

The City of Cape Town revealed that it has processed nearly 60,000 driver’s licence card applications in the 2025 alone, and received zero cards from the Driving Licence Card Account.

“Not a single card has been received for those applications from the Driving Licence Card Account in Pretoria – a national entity that produces these driving licence cards for the whole country,” said Cape Town officials.

The city’s management believes that the country’s sole printing machine has broken down yet again, creating a massive backlog for licence applications.

New Prado-based Lexus GX officially goes on sale in South Africa

Lexus has launched the new GX in South Africa at a starting price of R1,766,000.

The GX shares the same platform as the Toyota Prado, but replaces the diesel engine with a 3.5-litre turbocharged petrol plant.

This gives it a power cap of 260kW and 650Nm, which makes contact with the ground via a permanent all-wheel-drive system.

Cape Town commits R332,000 per kilometre of road

The City of Cape Town is set to spend roughly R3.5 billion on road maintenance and congestion relief projects over the next three years.

The metro’s road network encompasses roughly 10,700km, translating to a budget of around R332,000 per kilometre.

Cape Town also plans to commit an additional R5.6 billion to expand the MyCiti bus service.