Sure; he could've got round in a taxi (as in a small white bus, rather than a private taxi), which a lot of people do, but I wouldn't say that's where car-free living would be fallen in love with. It can be pretty dangerous as they drive on the pavements (or just the side of the road) a lot.
12 million cars for 60 million people, about 1/5. By comparison, the US has nine cars for every ten people.
I suspect there are a lot of South Africans who are too poor to own a car.