On Saturday, 23 March 2024, Western Cape Minister of Mobility, Ricardo Mackenzie, officially launched the Western Cape Government’s Easter road safety campaign for 2024.
Also read: City agencies square up for a busy Easter long weekend
Provincial Traffic teams will be out in full force with high visibility patrols targeting moving violations, interprovincial corridor operations, K78 roadblocks focused on ‘exodus’ traffic, and fatigue management interventions.
The upcoming Easter long weekend (29 March to 1 April) is usually bustling in Cape Town due to an increase in visitors. This year, it’s expected to be even busier since it falls during the school holidays, despite fuel prices nearing R25 per litre in March.
The expense of a round trip from Johannesburg to Cape Town by road still proves to be more cost-effective than opting for air travel. This holds whether you’re travelling solo or with your family. BusinessTech crunched the numbers.
The inland price for 95 petrol for March currently sits at R24.45 – an increase of R1.21 per litre from February 2024.
Over the past two years, petrol and diesel prices have surged by 22% and 41%, respectively, according to PwC’s latest economic outlook for South Africa.
These increases are attributed to the depreciation of South Africa’s currency during 2023/24 and the geopolitical tensions that have caused a spike in global oil prices.
Nevertheless, the airline industry hasn’t seen any relief either due to similar reasons, BusinessTech reports.
FlySafair pointed out that the prices of jet fuel, the exchange rate between the rand and the dollar, and a shortage of skilled maintenance workers are the primary factors directly affecting ticket prices.
The airline says jet fuel costs soared by 223% from October 2020 to October 2023, surpassing inflation. With fuel costs making up about half of their expenses, this rise has made prices high and hard to lower.
So, South African travellers face pricey road and air travel.
Based on this information, BusinessTech checked the cost of a round trip from Johannesburg to Cape Town (1 400km) with popular car types. These costs include toll fees of R233 for four tolls en route to Cape Town.
On average, it costs nearly R4 708 for a round trip from Johannesburg to Cape Town by car:
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However, those going to Cape Town might prefer a two-day drive, stopping to rest, which adds extra costs. In contrast, flying is quicker and doesn’t require breaks.
Here are the airline prices for a weekend round trip from Johannesburg to Cape Town (26 to 28 January):
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On average, flights are much more expensive than driving, with averages of R5 691 and R4 310 respectively. This means driving is currently 17% cheaper to get to Cape Town.
Even with oil price hikes and rand fluctuations, air ticket prices have dropped considerably post-COVID-19. Return flight prices could reach up to R7 000 due to capacity limits by the end of 2022, depending on your location and where you’re going.
If you’re travelling with others, however, driving is much cheaper. For a family of four, the cost of road travel per person is similar to one person travelling solo.
Air travel becomes notably pricier when accounting for multiple passengers.
Even though a family of four might need accommodation for both legs of the journey, the total spent would need to be around R17,000 to R12,000 to match the approximately R22,764 and R17,240 cost of plane tickets for the same group going to Cape Town.
In the end, a larger group will save more money by driving instead of flying, though individual air travel costs slightly less.
*Note that BusinessTech sourced prices from each respective airline’s website. Departing flights were for Friday, 28 March 2024, while return flights were for Monday, 1 April 2024. Air travel prices are prone to change, and not all airlines offer the same packages.
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