South Africa’s new airport gets the green light, the petrol price for November, and good news for anyone applying for a new driver’s licence

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

South Africa’s new international airport gets the green light

The Cape Winelands Airport has hit another major milestone with the Western Cape Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning granting it environmental authorisation.

With this authorisation now secure, the project can begin developing more detailed plans and implementing measures that will limit environmental impact before construction begins.

The Cape Winelands Airport project is intended to open its doors and begin handling travelers in 2028.

Good news for anyone applying for a new driver’s licence card in South Africa

Transport Minister Barbara Creecy has announced that South Africa’s driving licence card production backlog has been reduced significantly.

The backlog stood at 746,748 in May 2025, and is now down to around 200,000 – an improvement of almost 75%.

However, while significant progress has been made, at this rate, the backlog will still only be cleared by early 2026.

Official petrol price for November announced

The latest fuel price adjustments came into effect on Wednesday, 5 October 2025.

Thankfully, both types of fuel received a small reduction, with petrol dropping by 51c per litre while diesel saw a smaller cut of 21c per litre.

The price cuts are mainly attributed to the rand/US dollar exchange rate, which appreciated over the last month.

New R375-million train station shopping mall opened in South Africa

Transport Minister Barbara Creecy has opened a new mall at a train station in South Africa.

Isipingo Mall is a new shopping centre that forms part of the upgrades made by the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) to the Isipingo train station.

The development is part of the state-owned entity’s secondary mandate strategy, which aims to revamp key economic nodes and realize the commercial potential of properties surrounding its train stations.

New 1,000km Changan Hunter REEV bakkie launched in South Africa

The Changan Hunter Range-Extended Electric Vehicle (REEV) is officially on sale in South Africa.

It features a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, which functions as a generator to charge a battery, which, in turn, powers a pair of electric motors.

It has an output of 200kW and 470Nm, and a range of 1,000km.