The Rhythms That Broke Bashir: How Sudan’s Music Shaped a Revolution
Music created the networks, identities and spaces of trust that made collective political action possible in Sudan’s 2019 revolution.
YouTube
Pentecostal Churches Are a Place of Everyday Care, Not Just Bizarre Spectacle: Southern African Study
In most churches, religious life forms around friendships, love, emotional support and social events.
Chaos in Parliament as Debate on New Lottery Board Chair Explodes
Debate on a shortlist of three candidates was suspended, then postponed, after MK and EFF MPs repeatedly raised points of order
Prophets and Profits: The Art of the Sell in Shepherd Bushiri’s YouTube Sermons
‘Prophetpreneurship’ is a strategic blend of prophecy, charisma and business.
Municipality Changes Tune After Video Shows Ensure Guards Beating Man
For months, the Denis Hurley Centre has been alerting officials to complaints about the security company
South Africa’s Auto Sector Sees Strong Growth Amid Evolving Consumer and Insurance Trends
- New passenger car sales hit multi-year highs, totalling 102,268 units in Q1 2025
- Younger buyers and budget-conscious consumers reshape the financing and brand landscape
- South Africa’s younger car buyers are turning to TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, reshaping the automotive marketing playbook
- New insights on insurance trends highlight growing risk of uninsured vehicles
The latest TransUnion South Africa Mobility Insights Report (formerly the Vehicle Pricing Index) for Q1 2025 highlights a strong rebound in the country’s automotive market. This recovery has been driven by improved consumer sentiment, declining interest rates, access to retirement savings through two-pot withdrawals, and rising real wages. According to naamsa data, new passenger vehicle sales continued their upward trajectory in the first quarter, with monthly volumes averaging over 34,000 units, the highest levels seen since Q3 2015.
Affordability remains a key driver of vehicle purchasing and financing decisions. Creative financing options, longer ownership cycles, and the growing availability of value-oriented models are significantly reshaping consumer behaviour, particularly among younger and first-time buyers. The Q1 2025 TransUnion South Africa Mobility Insights report highlights that several emerging brands offering competitively priced vehicles have recorded strong year-over-year growth, contributing to the overall surge in new vehicle sales.
“South African consumers are returning to the vehicle market with a clear focus on value and flexibility,” says Lee Naik, CEO TransUnion Africa. “We’re seeing a continued shift away from traditional premium segments in favour of more accessible alternatives that meet evolving needs and budgets.”
Insurance Trends Reveal Shifting Landscape and Rising Risk
The Q1 2025 report introduces new data on insurance-linked vehicle asset finance (VAF). As of early 2025, only 39% of insured vehicle owners had financed vehicles, down from 44% in 2020. This signals a rise in alternative financing or lapses in insurance post-purchase, especially concerning as TransUnion’s 2024 Insurance Survey found that 25% of vehicle users had driven uninsured in the past six months.
This trend has implications for lenders, who face greater asset risk in the event of write-offs without insurance recovery, and for insurers, whose portfolios may now carry increased exposure. To mitigate these risks, strategies such as bundled insurance, usage-based coverage and low-cost flexible insurance models are growing in relevance.
Used Vehicle Momentum Slows as New Sales Lead Recovery
While used vehicles have dominated financing trends in recent years, Q1 2025 marked a notable shift back toward new vehicle purchases, driven by easing interest rates, improved entry-level model availability, and aggressive manufacturer incentives. Notably, the influx of competitively priced Chinese models has attracted budget-conscious buyers away from the used market, fuelling fresh growth in new vehicle registrations.
“Consumers are holding onto their cars for an average of six to eight years, compared to the previous five years, a trend that reflects affordability constraints and a more cautious approach to ownership,” says Naik.
Affordability and Flexibility Drive Change
The report reveals that shifting consumer preferences are reshaping the competitive landscape, with some established manufacturers experiencing year-over-year sales declines while more affordable and value-driven entrants continue to gain market share.
“The definition of value is changing,” says Naik. “It’s no longer just about the price tag, it’s about financing flexibility, long-term ownership costs, and trust in the product. That’s what’s driving consumer decisions today.”
Social Media's Growing Influence on South African Car Buyers
Generation Z’s1 rising influence, with a 27.9% year-on-year increase in vehicle finance volumes, highlights why social media has become essential for automotive brands aiming to attract younger buyers. As South Africans spend over 3.5 hours daily on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, 76% of users now turn to social media for product research, pushing automotive brands toward digital-first strategies with influencer campaigns, short-form videos, and interactive content, yet South Africa’s low social media ad spend signals a major untapped growth opportunity for marketers.
Social platforms are reshaping how South African consumers research, engage with, and purchase vehicles, particularly among Gen Z and Millennials1 who expect personalised, digital-first experiences. To stay competitive, brands are adopting influencer collaborations, platform-specific strategies, AI-enabled targeting, and immersive tools like augmented reality and virtual reality. Social commerce is gaining ground as buyers look for seamless, in-app journeys from browsing to booking.
Economic Outlook: Growth with Caution
The broader economic outlook for South Africa in 2025 remains cautiously optimistic, with GDP expected to grow by 1.4%, driven primarily by household consumption. While industrial output remains under pressure, consumer-driven sectors, particularly retail and vehicle sales, continue to show resilience. Vehicle export activity rose modestly by 0.4% year-over-year in Q1 2025, signalling a gradual recovery following the sharp decline in the previous quarter.
“The strong recovery in new vehicle sales is a positive sign,” says Naik. “But sustaining this growth will require policy certainty, infrastructure investment, and structural reforms. Without these, the economy remains vulnerable.”
“The South African automotive sector is adapting to new consumer behaviours and market forces. The insurance gap, affordability options, credit access and rising Gen Z1 participation will shape the road ahead. Collaboration across industry players is vital for long-term growth,” concludes Naik.
Read the full TransUnion South Africa Mobility Insights Report here.
1 Generation X (Gen X): Born 1965–1980; Millennials (Gen Y): Born 1981–1996; Gen Z (Generation Z) Born 1997–2012
ENDS
Notes to Editors: To provide you with timely market insights, we are updating our reporting structure.
Starting this quarter, the Vehicle Pricing Index will be renamed the TransUnion South Africa Mobility Insights Report, reflecting our broader focus on mobility trends. Vehicle Finance data will now be included in the TransUnion South Africa Industry Insights Report (IIR).
How African Consumers Set Global Trade Trends in the 1800s
Africa’s ‘new consumer class’ isn’t new; in the 1800s the continent called the tune for European factories.
News Influencers Are Reshaping the Media – Insights From Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa
The most prominent news creators on social media and video networks are men and YouTube is the most important platform for them.
Renaldo Gouws Joins Freedom Front Plus
Renaldo Gouws, popular social media personality and former DA Member of Parliament, has decided to throw in his weight with the Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus). Gouws, an industrial psychologist with a significant following on platforms such as YouTube, has extensive political experience and a genuine passion for community values. During his political career with […]
The post Renaldo Gouws joins Freedom Front Plus appeared first on Freedom Front Plus.
Crossfire or Cover-Up?
Imagine driving home with your family at night and suddenly finding yourself in the middle of a shootout. That’s what happened to the Ismail family five years ago. They were told they were caught in a crossfire, but the evidence raises more questions than answers. Despite a stalled investigation, the family hasn't given up their quest for justice and continues to ask questions of the very people whose job it is to protect us.
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God and Nollywood: How Pentecostal Churches Have Shaped Nigerian Film
Evangelical filmmakers turned prayers into special effects and spiritual battles into dramatic storylines and created a new genre.
Tainted Treats
Our next story is one of the most surprising investigations our team has ever undertaken. At its heart is a Limpopo company that sells what it claims are edible colours and glitters. Exactly the sort of thing a baking enthusiast would use to make their cupcakes Instagram-worthy. But insiders told us that all was not as it seemed in this world of sweet confectionery. So, our crew set out to uncover the secrets beneath the frosting.
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Jozi Jacuzzi
Municipalities across the country are struggling to provide the most basic services. Sometimes, the only way to avoid crying about it all is to have a laugh. So, when a years-old leak transformed a Joburg street corner into a lap pool, Macfarlane put on his wet suit and took the plunge.
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March and March Controversy
It’s been a source of simmering tension and violence for decades. Porous borders, corrupt officials and an inefficient bureaucracy have resulted in millions of undocumented foreigners living in often precarious conditions all over South Africa. And as infrastructure and public services crumble, they’re increasingly bearing the brunt of local anger. This story is about a group that believes undocumented immigrants are responsible for delays and shortages in our strained public healthcare system. March and March has taken matters into its own hands – and despite acting illegally, it’s getting plenty of support. But is this a patriotic movement, or one built on xenophobia
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Tetelestai: Deadly deliverance
This isn’t the first time we’ve reported on rehab gone wrong. People seeking help with addiction are all too often taken advantage of by self-proclaimed healers. Some claim to operate on spiritual principals but wield much darker methods behind closed doors. And that’s what we investigate in this story. In this coastal rehab centre, addiction is seen as sin. And the solution? Allegedly, isolation, forced labour and physical punishment. We headed to KZN to meet the families paying the cost of believing the Tetelestai Recovery Centre's promises.
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Open SANDF Secrets Revisited
Nearly two years ago, we brought you a chilling story about an alleged rogue unit operating within the National Defence Force. Investigations suggested that highly trained, dangerous members of the Special Forces were operating above the law, involved in kidnapping, torture and even murder. Then, in June, news broke that several SANDF members - including Special Forces operatives - had been arrested. The State’s case appears to include elements revealed in our own investigation. It’s a story unfolding in real time, with widespread implications for the rule of law, the operation of secret armed forces in our country and vulnerable whistleblowers.
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SA Farmers in Georgia
Georgia: it’s a tiny country between Russia and Türkiye whose GDP since the early 2000s has been one of the fastest-growing in the world. In a bid to further boost their economy, the Georgian government developed an agricultural development plan and invited South African farmers to relocate there in 2010 to help get it off the ground. Dozens packed up and went. But a lot can change in 15 years. Under a new government, different laws and a changing foreign policy, how are those South Africans doing today? Nickolaus Bauer took a trip to find out.
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Daniel Janse van Rensburg’s Black Beach hell
𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟮𝟴 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟲.
His story has the makings of a Hollywood blockbuster. But for Daniel Janse van Rensburg, the reality of life in Equatorial Guinea’s notorious Black Beach prison was nothing less than a living hell. Daniel was kidnapped and held captive without charge for almost two years following a failed business deal with a politician. In an exclusive television interview, Daniel tells Carte Blanche of the horror of imprisonment and surviving rotten food, disease and gangsters, before finally paying a bribe to secure his freedom.
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Mkhwanazi vs Mchunu
Earlier this month, President Ramaphosa addressed the nation on a matter of national security. This after KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi dropped bombshell allegations about political interference in crime investigations. Speaking in Pretoria, the President announced the launch of a commission of inquiry to investigate allegations relating to the infiltration of law enforcement and the judiciary by criminal syndicates. In the meantime, Police Minister Mchunu has been put on leave. It’s another unfolding story, and we’ll be bringing you in-depth investigations and analysis in future shows. But for now, here’s a look at the man behind the outcry.
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Keys to nowhere
State-of-the-art eco-conscious living, slick designs and affordable prices. That’s what this brand-new development near Johannesburg promised. The developers even offered financing assistance to clients who’d been blacklisted. So, it’s no wonder that it attracted dozens of first-time buyers eager to invest. But when the charismatic developers stopped answering calls, their clients began to worry. Our crew headed to Midrand to track down these would-be property moguls.
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Reviving Phakisa Freeway
We have a long, rich history in motorsports – from manufacturing rally vehicles to contributing champions to the F1 circuit. We’re also home to the only oval speedway in Africa: the Phakisa Freeway near Welkom in the Free State. For locals, Phakisa is legendary – once home to international events and the source of a booming motorsports economy. But today, all that is a distant memory. We went to Welkom to interview people wanting to revive the track and got threatened with arrest in the process.
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Beauty Underground: Fake Injectors
It's a cliché: when the price seems too good to be true, that's probably because it is. And women turning to influencers for the “international” look are finding it out the hard way. Injectable cosmetics - they promise to plump your skin, sculpt your cheekbones, and even stop time. And untrained, unlicensed practitioners are cashing in on their popularity. Lourensa peers beneath the skin of the beauty industry and finds a flourishing underground market.
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Living on cheese
Potholes are such a common sight on our roads that they’re now jokingly referred to as our national emblem. We’ve become so used to them that they rarely raise an eyebrow these days. But that’s not how our crew reacted on a recent trip to Tshwane. That’s where they encountered what some have described as potholes on steroids – massive sinkholes impacting roads, businesses, and homes thanks to crumbling public infrastructure.
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Police Watchdog Probes Disappearance of Nigerian Immigrant During TV Show
Silas Ani was last seen unconscious during a “drug raid” by police and Sizok’thola presenter Xolani Khumalo in April