Author:charleen-clarke

National roads are becoming crime corridors July 29, 2026 New research presented at the 44th Southern African Transport Conference (SATC) in Pretoria has revealed that South Africa’s national roads have become hunting grounds. CHARLEEN CLARKE reports that crime hotspots are forming in major metros and on freight corridors nationwide. South Africa’s road safety crisis may be even more complex than previously understood. It is not only reckless driving, vehicle defects, speeding or poor enforcement that are placing road users at […]

Creecy warns transport sector: Adapt or be left behind July 29, 2026 South Africa’s logistics weaknesses have made the country vulnerable – and neighbours are ready to exploit the situation. That’s according to Transport Minister Barbara Creecy, who delivered the opening address at the 2026 Southern African Transport Conference (SATC). CHARLEEN CLARKE reports. Speaking on 6 July under the theme “Developing and Sustaining Transport Systems in an Uncertain World,” Creecy warned that South Africa’s transport failures have moved beyond operational […]

The world’s best trucks are coming to South Africa August 24, 2026 South African operators are finally getting DAF’s award-winning XF and XG truck models. CHARLEEN CLARKE visited Eindhoven and Westerlo to see how they are produced. Then she drove the trucks to discover why they impressed the world’s leading commercial vehicle journalists. The arrival of a completely new truck range is always significant. The arrival of a range already judged to be the best in the world is considerably […]

Border chaos is costing SA billions July 29, 2026 South Africa’s border queues are draining up to R16 billion a year. CHARLEEN CLARKE reports that this is crippling exporters, stranding trucks for days and exposing a regional trade system in urgent need of reform. A paper delivered at the 44th Southern African Transport Conference (SATC) has put a stark price on one of the region’s most persistent logistics failures: cross-border disruption is estimated to cost R15 billion to R16 billion […]

RTX 2026: The trucks and technology that stole the show August 6, 2026 From strongmen hauling trucks to trailers charging electric vehicles, RTX 2026 delivered spectacle and substance. CHARLEEN CLARKE explored the machines, ideas and exhibitors shaping road transport’s next chapter in Britain. The sun was blazing, the trucks were polished and over 13,000 visitors poured into NAEC Stoneleigh in Warwickshire for Road Transport Expo 2026. Now in its fifth year, RTX has grown into far more than a display […]

Why used DAF trucks are gaining ground in South Africa July 8, 2026 Economic pressure is reshaping South Africa’s truck market. Elliot Twani, head of used sales – DAF Trucks at Babcock International Group, tells CHARLEEN CLARKE that this is pushing operators towards premium used vehicles with affordable acquisition costs, optimal support and strong residual values. South Africa’s used truck market is not growing because fleet operators have suddenly lost interest in new vehicles. It is growing because the economics […]

Shacman stakes its claim in South Africa July 23, 2026 From a “staplerless start-up” to an 800-truck sales contender, Shacman Africa is forcing South Africa’s established manufacturers to reckon with a fast-growing, locally owned Chinese challenger with serious continental ambitions. CHARLEEN CLARKE paid the company a visit. A stapler is an unlikely measure of corporate progress. Yet it neatly captures the distance Shacman Africa has travelled since its South African operation began in 2022. General manager Malcolm Gush, a commercial […]