Cars too old for the road? Strategy being developed for aging vehicles in SA
Will determine when vehicles must be 'retired' and how they are disassembled and recycled.
South Africa is developing a framework and strategy for managing aging vehicles on its roads. The end-of-life vehicle strategy aims to determine when a vehicle will be retired and cannot be driven on the country's roads while also ensuring these vehicles are properly disassembled and recycled to prevent pollution. AA CEO Bobby Ramagwede suggests that vehicles aged 15 years and above should be the starting point for retirement due to their unroadworthy condition.
However, Tshetlhe Litheko, chief policy officer at automotive business council Naamsa, argues that retirement should not solely be based on age, but on the vehicle's health assessment, which includes roadworthy tests. The Motor Industry Staff Association (Misa) warns that without a regulatory framework, South Africa risks losing access to its largest export market, as three-quarters of exported vehicles go to Europe.
The EU is in the process of finalizing circularity rules that require recycled materials, circular design, and full lifecycle responsibility from manufacturers. Failure to comply could prevent South African vehicles from entering Europe, threatening export revenue of R291 billion and hundreds of thousands of jobs. Ramagwede emphasizes the importance of vehicle roadworthiness assessments, as many regions, such as Europe and the Asean, have clear parameters for when a car is deemed no longer roadworthy based on age.
Litheko confirms that Naamsa, in collaboration with Toyota Tsusho, commissioned a research study on the end-of-life vehicle strategy, which was completed in February. The next steps involve determining the funding model, regulations, and industrial incentives for the strategy.
Written by urgent.news from The Citizen's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
