The Ben Schoeman highway, South Africa’s busiest, wends its congested way between Johannesburg and Pretoria. On the road’s six lanes, German luxury cars jostle for space with pick-up trucks freighting labourers to work and minibus taxis shuttling migrants to and from Zimbabwe. Traffic on the road has been rising at a rate of 7 per cent a year. Rush hour now begins at 6 am and, on bad days, the 55 kilometre-plus trip can stretch up to two hours.

Although unpleasant to negotiate, the traffic is a sure sign of good times in South Africa. High commodities prices and a long period of solid economic growth and low interest rates are contributing to a 10 per cent annual growth in vehicle ownership.