South Africa’s new international airport closer to completion, good news for diesel prices, and 8-year driver’s licences get the green light

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

South Africa’s new international airport one step closer to completion

WBHO has been selected as the contracting partner for the technical development and construction of the Cape Winelands Airport.

This represents another step in the airport’s construction and the multibillion-dollar expansion programme, which aims to open the airport’s doors to travellers in 2028.

Since its announcement, the Cape Winelands Airport has rapidly risen to become one of the most anticipated projects in the region and is expected to become the Western Cape’s next-generation aviation, hospitality, and industrial hub.

Good news for diesel prices in South Africa

The latest data from the Central Energy Fund points to a drop in diesel prices next month, though petrol users won’t be as lucky.

Petrol is expected to remain largely stagnant with an imperceptible increase of 4c per litre, while diesel will come down by 70c per litre.

The disparity between the petrol and diesel price can be traced to the easing of capacity constraints at various refineries in Europe and the United States, which are essential for diesel production worldwide.

190,000 driver’s licences scrapped in South Africa

A total of 190,503 licences have been cancelled after a fraud and maladministration investigation within the Driving Licence Testing Centres (DLTCs) found these licences were linked to deceased individuals.

The Special Investigating Unit discovered that DLTC officials had manipulated the eNatis system to unjustly transfer outstanding fees and penalties to deceased individuals or unsuspecting citizens.

This enabled some vehicle owners, especially those with heavy motor vehicles, to evade state debts.

South Africa’s 8-year driver’s licences get the green light

South Africa is “definitely” getting an extension on its driver’s licence validity period from five to eight years.

This was stated by Director-General Mathabatha Mokonyana, who informed the Parliament’s Select Committee on Public Infrastructure and the Minister in the Presidency that a decision had been made regarding the licence validity period extension.

“Our analysis and assessment is that South Africans do favour a longer period. They don’t want to come back to us every five years. So we definitely will be moving to eight years soon.”

2026 South African Car of the Year semi-finalists revealed – With pricing

The South African Guild of Mobility Journalists (SAGMJ) has announced the semi-finalists for the 2026 Car of the Year (COTY) competition.

A total of 55 cars were initially considered for the award, which has been shaved down to a list of 30 semi-finalists by the COTY’s panel of 25 jurers.

The finalists will be announced in January, after which the contenders will undergo an evaluation process to determine South Africa’s 2026 Car of the Year.