BDO South Africa: Transport Month 2025 — Driving a Sustainable and Connected Future for South Africa
BDO South Africa: Transport Month 2025 — Driving a Sustainable and Connected Future for South Africa
As South Africa celebrates Transport Month, BDO South Africa underscores the vital importance of sustainability, innovation, and infrastructure investment in shaping the future of mobility and the broader economy.
Transport Month, established at the 2005 Transport Lekgotla, is an annual initiative led by the Department of Transport to showcase achievements in aviation, maritime, roads, and public transport and to raise awareness of how the sector drives economic growth, social inclusion, and environmental resilience.
“Transport Month is not just about celebrating infrastructure, it’s about building the backbone of South Africa’s future economy,” says Siyabonga Mthembu, Partner and Automotive Sector Expert at BDO South Africa.
“Reliable, sustainable, and affordable transport is fundamental to growth, inclusion, and competitiveness. It connects people, communities, and opportunities.”
The transport sector remains central to South Africa’s Nine-Point Plan, stimulating development, enabling trade, and creating jobs through investments in rail, roads, ports, and public transport. These initiatives aim to modernise the national transport system, improve access for low-income commuters, and strengthen the logistics backbone that supports exports and industrial growth.
“Our investments in the transport sector are designed to stimulate development and job creation while building a truly integrated public transport network,” Mthembu notes. “These networks are changing how people access work, education, and recreation and they’re key to reducing unemployment, poverty, and inequality.”
The global automotive industry and by extension, South Africa’s is undergoing its most profound transformation in a century. The transition toward electrified, connected, and sustainable mobility is reshaping the competitive landscape for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers alike
These macro trends are redefining how vehicles are designed, produced, powered, and recycled and are poised to transform South Africa’s automotive and logistics ecosystem.
Mthembu discussed the five key sustainability trends shaping South Africa’s automotive and transport future:
1. Transition to Electric and Hybrid Vehicles
The global demand for zero-emission and sustainable mobility is accelerating.
By 2030, electric and hybrid drivetrains are expected to dominate vehicle sales globally, with battery and fuel cell technologies becoming the fastest-growing market segments. This evolution will reshape local supplier ecosystems, creating demand for battery assembly, energy storage, charging networks, and e-mobility innovation hubs.
2. Sustainable Sourcing and Supply Chain Transformation
Sustainability is now embedded into procurement and supplier evaluation across the global automotive value chain.
Scope 3 upstream emissions, which account for up to 80% of total emissions for suppliers, have become a key focus area. Major OEMs now make carbon performance a tender criterion, requiring Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers to map, disclose, and reduce their carbon footprints.
3. Sustainable Manufacturing Practices
Sustainable manufacturing has moved from aspiration to necessity, with key pillars of sustainable manufacturing include: Waste management and circular material use; energy efficiency through renewables; sustainable product design and lean production.
4. Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency
The circular economy is emerging as a defining model for the automotive sector. “Circular business models are redefining value creation in the automotive sector,” says Mthembu.
“South African suppliers that adopt repair, reuse, and remanufacturing models early will gain a decisive competitive advantage.”
5. Technology-Enabled Sustainability
AI, IoT, and Blockchain technologies are transforming sustainability across the automotive value chain, from battery lifecycle management to predictive maintenance and transparent sourcing.
Sustainable transport is the foundation of economic inclusion, when we invest in infrastructure that connects people and opportunities, we don’t just move goods , we move the country forward,” concludes Mthembu.