The automotive CEO earning R87,000 per day, and the cheapest way to get from Pretoria to Joburg

Buying a minibus taxi in South Africa can cost anywhere from R140,000 to R862,700, with most operators typically spending around R450,000.

These vehicles are found all over South African roads and play a key role in the local transport sector as they take responsibility for moving millions of commuters every day.

Previously, Transport Minister Barbara Creecy reported that the minibus taxi industry generates an estimated annual revenue of anywhere between R60 billion and R100 billion.

It also contributes directly to 1.4% of the country’s GDP and supports up to 300,000 direct jobs across South Africa. Eight out of ten commuters rely on taxis as their primary mode of transport.

More than 200,000 minibus taxis are currently operating in South Africa, but according to the minister, that is 85,000 too many, causing an oversupply and conflict over commuter routes.

Global oil prices made a slight U-turn, falling to the lowest levels in a week, despite no immediate end to the conflict in the Middle East.

This morning, Brent crude oil prices are sitting just below $102 per barrel as investors pin their hopes on diplomacy in the Iran war getting a chance this week amid a United Nations meeting.

US President Donald Trump told Fox News he would “probably” be open to meeting his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York this week.

At the same time, the South African rand is once again trading at over R16 against the greenback, which is likely to affect the price of oil prices going forward.

A single US dollar costs R16.25 this morning, and while that is slightly lower than the middle of last week, it is much more than a week ago.

5 important things

The man who leads South Africa’s largest automotive group and earns R87,000 per day: Ockert Janse van Rensburg, the CEO of South Africa’s largest automotive company, Motus, has been with the company for over ten years and today is paid over R30 million to lead the multinational dealer group [TopAuto].

The cheapest way to get from Pretoria to Johannesburg: For travellers between Gauteng’s two largest cities, the cost of driving is similar to that of taking the Gautrain, but there are more factors to consider outside of price [BusinessTech].

The Chinese car brand that will pay you R200,000 for its own car priced at R835,000 three years ago: Less than three years after the GWM Ora 03 made its South African debut, a GWM dealer would offer just 24% of the EV’s original price for a used GT model with around 36,000km on the clock [MyBroadband].

Kyalami lands Africa’s first 24h endurance race as Michelin Series moves to SA in 2027: Formula One (F1) may still be out of reach, but South Africa will host a motorsport milestone in 2027 – Kyalami’s first-ever 24-hour endurance race, bringing the world‑renowned Michelin 24H Series to African soil [The Citizen].

Volvo’s huge product offensive could include new station wagons: Volvo is aiming to launch 13 new vehicles worldwide by 2030, and these will include both “low and high body types,” suggesting a new station wagon [Car and Driver].