The cost of renewing your licence online in South Africa, and the R1 billion SAA lie

South African regional private airline, Airlink, has announced an expanded schedule for the upcoming Southern African summer season.

The airline said it is adding new routes and increasing frequencies along several popular holiday-destination routes, as well as adding Business Class services on board its new Embraer E195-E2 aircraft.

The changes will be introduced between October and December 2026, and will give flyers more flight options during the upcoming peak travel season.

This morning, global Brent crude oil prices reached $114 per barrel, climbing 0.5% overnight as markets remain worried about renewed escalation in the Persian Gulf.

Reuters reported that ING analysts said re-escalation seems the most likely path, and even if tensions don’t re-escalate, the mere possibility is likely to keep a sizeable geopolitical risk premium embedded in prices.

Bloomberg added that Iran-backed Houthi militants claimed recent attacks on the Saudi Red Sea port of Yanbu, as well as deadly strikes on an oil field and airport in the kingdom.

This market uncertainty and a drop in global gold prices saw the South African rand slip against the US dollar. The Greenback costs R16.52 this morning.

5 important things

What it costs to renew your car licence disc online in South Africa: The National Traffic Information System (NaTIS) website is incredibly convenient, taking just five minutes to renew a licence disc at a cost of less than R500 for a hatchback. [TopAuto].

R1 billion guarantee after ANC government promised it would never happen again: Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s Medium Term Budget Policy Statement revealed that South African Airways (SAA) received a R1 billion guarantee from the government. This flies in the face of previous claims by the National Treasury and Ministers that the state-owned airline will not receive any further assistance [Daily Investor].

Uber has spent five months searching for a new boss in South Africa: Uber has been struggling to find someone to lead its South African ride-hailing business, which has come under fire in recent years over deteriorating safety and service standards. The e-hailing giant has been advertising a country manager position in South Africa since at least May 2026 [MyBroadband].

Government spent R22 million to fix potholes on an important road, but they remain open seven months later: Numerous potholes remain open along the Christiana-Hertzogville road towards the Dealesvilles and R64 intersection. These potholes continue to endanger motorists despite the Free State government having spent R22 million to fill them [Newsday].

Chery boss says around 90 per cent of Chinese automakers lose money: Chery’s international boss estimates around 90 per cent of Chinese automakers are losing money, and warns more companies will disappear as development costs rise [CarExpert].