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Suzuki unveilS
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electric
truckS in Sa
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More about
Business Fleet Africa
EDITION 21
JaNuary 2023
22
26
Volvo launches electric
trucks in SA.
Table of ConTenTs
3 Editorial
Business
4 Navigate 2023 with careful control of
resources
14 Interventions needed to get SA economy
firing in 2023
Road Safety
6 Shocking, tragic but not surprising
News
8 Local News
16 Industry News
20 Technology
In the headlights: HCV Fleet Vehicles
22 Iveco wins 2023 Dakar Rally
23 South Africans shine at UD Trucks Gemba
challenge
24 Volvo launches electric trucks in SA
26 SVI launches B6 armoured Iveco Trakker
27 Gold medal for MAN in sustainability
ranking
28 Could e-Axles could become the staple of
electric powertrains
30 Mercedes-Benz Trucks sets up central
parts hub
Fleet Owner Success Story
31 Polar Limitada’s standardised DAF fleet
Supply Chain and Logistics
32 Last mile innovation
34 Why your business could do with a new
delivery partner
35 Shoring up a business’s legal position
Fleet Management
36 Ctrack continues to evolve into 2023
In the headlights: LCV Fleet Vehicles
38 The latest in automotive design
40 All-new Amarok to go on sale soon
42 Suzuki unveils new models
43 Mercedes-Benz EQE goes on sale
44 Haval launches sporty Jolion S
Industry Sales
45 Bumper December for commercial
vehicle sales
46 Buyers Guide
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Suzuki unveilS
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of reSourceS
volvo
launcheS
electric
truckS in Sa
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14
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Editor
Reuben van Niekerk
reubenvn@vodamail.co.za
082 837 8801
Editor-at-large
Suzanne Walker
suzanne.walker3@gmail.com
083 3789 664
Contributors
Roger Houghton
houghtonr@mwebbiz.co.za
082 371 9097
Publisher
Jacques Wilken
jwilken@mweb.co.za
083 299 7312
Road Impression Editor
Charl Wilken
cwwilken@mweb.co.za
083 297 1837
Advertising and Marketing
Charlene Kruger
charlene@businessfleetafrica.co.za
076 807 4613
© 1997 WCM Media CC
Disclaimer
While all reasonable precautions
have been taken to ensure the
accuracy of information supplied,
neither the editor, the proprietors,
nor the publishers can accept
responsibility for any inaccuracies,
damages, or injury which may arise
there from.
Work smartly in 2023
Another year is upon us and while the chaos created by the global pandemic seems
to mostly be a thing of the past there are numerous new challenges that make doing
businesses in South Africa tricky. A common thread in this month’s edition of Business
Fleet Africa, is that business will have to work smarter and carefully control all the
resources that contribute to their business model in order to have any chance of
survival in this challenging market.
This will include carefully considering long term agreements and in many cases
opting for agreements that give you more flexibility as your business needs ebb and
flow. The right partnerships are also critical and what business owners are looking
for in partnerships is also very different to what was considered vital a few years ago.
Factors such as ESG and corporate responsibility are becoming more important as
people now investigate the entire supply chain of a business, from source to the way
the final product is packaged and delivered so that they know exactly who they are
doing business with. How all the players in the value chain conduct their affairs will be
considered before entering into any partnerships. Being associated with the wrong
crowd is seen as a big no, no these days.
Road deaths still too high
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula announced that during the festive period from
1 December 2022 to 11 January 2023, 1451 people died on South African roads. The
Minister noted that this is a 14% reduction in the number of fatalities compared to the
same period in 2021/2022.
While an improvement is certainly welcomed, losing 1451 lives in five weeks is still
completely unacceptable and drastic measures need to be taken to curb the culture
where such a number is celebrated.
Our new columnist Ashref Ismail offers several suggestions a few pages on but
there certainly must be a greater emphasis around the education regarding road
safety. Government also needs to come to the party and sign in to law the proposal
for periodic testing of older vehicles, which has been lying in wait for many years now.
Reducing the number of unroadworthy vehicles on our roads will go a long way in
reducing accidents.
We would like to hear from you
Business Fleet Africa continues to strive to offer our readers a unique combination
of content from all the segments of the world of working wheels and the associated
industries. As such we always welcome suggestions regarding what you would like to
read about, what you would like to see more of and maybe even what you would like
to see less of.
Reuben van Niekerk
Editor
Editorial
eDIToRIal
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BUSINESS FLEET AFRICA | January 2023
WWW.BUSINESSFLEETAFRICA.CO.ZA
As we embark on 2023 there are numer-
ous external factors that continue to
influence the business world, globalisa-
tion and technology.
According to the latest reports the
South African GDP increased by 1.6% in
quarter three following the 0.7% decline
in quarter two of 2022. The result is
that the SA economy grew to above
pre-pandemic levels, with real GDP now
the highest it has ever been. The main
drivers of growth were agriculture,
finance, transport and manufacturing.
At the end of November, the
monetary policy committee raised the
benchmark repo interest rate to 7%, with
the prime lending rate now at 10.5%. It is
predicted that we will see increases in the
repo rate going forward, but these will
most probably be at a much slower rate.
In November 2022 the Reserve
Bank highlighted the upside risks to
SA inflation, which is still focused on a
wide range of factors including oil, food
administered prices, the rand exchange
rate and salaries. The food price inflation
forecast has been revised to 6.2% and
their estimated headline inflation for
2023 is forecasted at 5.4% and is expect-
ed to average 4.5% for 2024 and 2025.
The importance of social responsibility
Social responsibility is a way for corpo-
rations and small businesses to support
good business. It is not just philanthropy,
it is also a way to address the world’s
most pressing problems, from climate
change to hunger and disease. It can
be an important differentiator in the
marketplace as well, helping companies
build relationships with their customers
or employees. Companies that take an
active role in their community and create
initiatives that help improve the lives of
people are likely to be more profitable.
Technology, the good and the bad
Technology has changed every aspect of
our lives, including business. Globalisation
means that it’s easier to share ideas and
conduct business across borders.
Navigate 2023 with
careful control of resources
bUsIness
However, as the world becomes
more reliant on technology, cybercrime
has become a significant threat to
business. The number of reported
incidents of cybercrimes has increased
dramatically over the last decade and is
expected to keep growing as technol-
ogy used by these criminals becomes
more sophisticated and harder to
detect.
Tighter control imperative
“These ongoing challenges mean
that doing business in South Africa
is as tough as ever and in order to
survive and remain profitable business
owners and fleet managers need
to closely manage every aspect of
their business to ensure efficiency
in all areas,” says Derick de Vries,
Executive Head of Standard Bank Fleet
Management.
Key to this is the right business
partnerships and supplier relationships.
For example, a well sorted and carefully
managed fleet management system is
critical to doing business in the transport
industry.
“So too are the right financing
partners. A volatile market means that
transport operators are experiencing a
growing need for more flexible financing
arrangements that allow them to alter
their fleet as and when needs arise,”
adds de Vries.
Standard Bank Vehicle and Asset
Finance currently offer several solutions
that speak to this need. Interim agree-
ments are an interim solution until such
time that they are superseded by a main
agreement. Operating rentals allow
assets to be hired for a defined period.
Full maintenance rentals provide
a comprehensive finance and main-
tenance package for businesses and
private individuals that require the use
of a vehicle or number of vehicles for
various purposes but do not want to
take ownership of, or the risk of main-
taining or disposing of the vehicles.
A fleet management card offers
convenience and is a useful way of
paying for, monitoring and controlling
vehicle running costs. Transactional in-
formation is provided on a daily, weekly
or monthly basis. Online authorisation
at the time of the transaction and
reporting of approved and declined
transactions ensures pro-active control
of expenses. This offers increased
security that protects against any pos-
sible fraudulent transactions and helps
manage the running costs of vehicles
by comparing performance against
benchmark statistics.
“Being adaptable is key to surviving
in an ever-changing world and the flex-
ibility of partnerships and agreements
will become a critical deciding factor
for business owners going forward,”
concludes de Vries. BFA
‘These ongoing
challenges mean
that doing business
in South Africa is as
tough as ever and in
order to survive and
remain profitable
business owners and
fleet managers need to
closely manage every
aspect of their business
to ensure efficiency
in all areas.’
January 2023 | BUSINESS FLEET AFRICA
WWW.BUSINESSFLEETAFRICA.CO.ZA
The Boksburg Tanker Explosion that
claimed the lives of forty people
on Christmas eve is symptomatic
of a country that is at the edge of a
precipice.
With more than a thousand
people killed on South African roads
during the past month-long holiday
season, we remain numb to the news
of road related deaths. We have be-
come so insensitive to the needless
and senseless loss of lives that we
have normalised dying on our roads
as an unfortunate expectation.
Daily, an average of forty people
die on South African roads with up
to 35% comprising of pedestrians.
This puts us amongst the top ten
worst countries in Africa and in the
top 25 worst in the rest of the world
when comparing road deaths.
The road transport system
which is the lifeblood of any vibrant
economy, is the heartbeat of a
flourishing and prosperous society.
Safety, security, efficacy and
efficiency separates first world from
third world environments.
More than ever before we are
beginning to see the scourge of
bad driving increasing amongst the
heavy vehicle sector. Following the
Shocking, tragic
but not surprising
BUSINESS FLEET AFRICA | January 2023
WWW.BUSINESSFLEETAFRICA.CO.ZA
RoaD safeTY
More than ever before we are
beginning to see the scourge of
bad driving increasing amongst
the heavy vehicle sector.
Following the Boksburg tanker
explosion, there have been four
other tanker-related crashes in the
country. And this will continue,
as unscrupulous operators, hire
drivers with dodgy credentials,
providing no advanced, defensive
driver training, overloading
their vehicles, cutting on key
maintenance and asking their
drivers to drive longer hours
without reasonable breaks.
January 2023 | BUSINESS FLEET AFRICA
WWW.BUSINESSFLEETAFRICA.CO.ZA
Boksburg tanker explosion, there have
been four other tanker-related crashes
in the country. And this will continue,
as unscrupulous operators, hire drivers
with dodgy credentials, providing no
advanced, defensive driver training,
overloading their vehicles, cutting on key
maintenance and asking their drivers to
drive longer hours without reasonable
breaks. This is a recipe for disaster, and
we regularly witness the frightening
results on social media.
The failure of Prasa, the SOE that
manages Transnet and Metrorail has
resulted in an ever-increasing volume
of heavy vehicles on the major arterial
corridors. The destruction of the rail in-
frastructure and the plundering of what
used to be efficient railway stations is
enough to reduce one to tears.
A variety of factors has resulted in a
traffic law enforcement fraternity that
is conspicuous by its absence. When
traffic police are visible, it is most often
when they are conducting speed-timing
operations. If you should be pulled
over for a roadside check, at most, it
will be checking the validity of your
driving license and the vehicle license
disc. There is absolutely no evidence of
smart policing.
This in a country where there are
high levels of alcohol-related deaths.
In fact, according to Medical Research
Council’s Non-Natural Injury Mortality
Rate, 65% of weekend death rates are as
a result of abuse of alcohol, either by a
driver, and/or pedestrians.
Daily we witness motorists of all
vehicle classes committing all manner of
road infractions with impunity, talking
and even texting on their mobiles
while driving, operating un-roadworthy
vehicles, jumping red lights, overtaking
dangerously, tailgating and various
other moving violations simply because
there are no consequences. Crumbling
infrastructure, secondary roads dotted
with killer potholes and the general
state of decay further contributes to
motorist’s frustrations, leading to road
rage and unsafe driving. It seems that we
are all just one mile away from total road
anarchy.
This situation not only relates to road
transport, but has unfortunately also
spilled over to rail, aviation and mari-
time. The lack of competition following
the downing of major brands like Mango,
Kulula, Comair and SAA have led to the
high cost of air travel, both domestically
and internationally forcing more people
to travel by road.
So, how did we get here?
Having worked for two decades at
provincial and national departments
of transport and being a former,
founding member of the Road Traffic
Management Corporation, I can say
without a doubt that the following are
some of the key challenges:
Q Lack of continuity with new Minister
appointees bringing their own admin-
istrative agenda sometimes to the
detriment of successful programs.
Q The Road Traffic Management
Corporation (RTMC) needs to be the
lead agency for road safety in the
country, with a better communica-
tions strategy.
Q The strategic objectives and key
performance indicators of the RTMC
should be aligned to measuring and
reducing road deaths.
Q The National Traffic Police of the
RTMC has created an additional
tier of traffic law enforcement and
it is not uncommon to find three
different agencies working along one
major route. There should be more
cohesion in traffic management
structures with proper goal setting
and strategies for each.
Q A proper accredited and certified
driving school and driving instructor
training programme should be
developed, which ideally should be
preceded by overhauling the entire
K53 regime.
Q Road safety education in conjunction
with the National Department of
Education has not been realised and
a wonderful opportunity to inculcate
safety habits from a young age is
missing.
Q Road traffic offences are still seen as
a minor or petty offence and various
agents across the criminal justice
system are not giving it the necessary
gravitas to serve as an effective
deterrent.
Q For too many of the local traffic
authorities road traffic offences are
a means of revenue generation and
until this mindset changes, we will
continue to lose lives.
Q The entire road traffic strategy needs
to be overhauled and an effective
tri-partite coalition established
between government, the private
sector and civil society.
While the wish-list is far from complete,
tackling some of these issues listed
above would be a step in the right direc-
tion. With a cabinet reshuffle looming,
let’s hope that the new incumbent will
provide the vision, aims and objectives
that the long-suffering populace
country is long asking for and is truly
deserving of. BFA
Ashref Ismail is a multiple
award-winning road safety
practitioner with more 35 years’
experience at provincial, nation-
al and international levels. He
holds qualifications in Traffic and
Municipal Policing, Teaching,
Public Relations and Professional
Driving. He currently runs his
own fleet risk management
consultancy, specializing in
advanced, hazard management
training and driver wellness.
The failure of Prasa, the SOE that manages Transnet
and Metrorail has resulted in an ever-increasing
volume of heavy vehicles on the major arterial
corridors. The destruction of the rail infrastructure
and the plundering of what used to be efficient
railway stations is enough to reduce one to tears.
BUSINESS FLEET AFRICA | January 2023
WWW.BUSINESSFLEETAFRICA.CO.ZA
neWs
Bridgestone Southern Africa Mining services and OTRACO
Southern Africa will join forces to accelerate mining tyre
management and mobility solutions in Southern Africa, under
one banner.
Bridgestone Southern Africa (BSAF) recently announced
that its group company Bridgestone Southern Africa
Holdings (BSAFH) has entered into an agreement to acquire
OTRACO Southern Africa, a leader in Off-The-Road (OTR)
tyre management solutions. This acquisition will accelerate
the growth of Bridgestone SA’s mining solutions business
and expand the company’s service network. The acquisition
was completed in December 2022 and André Bode will
continue as Managing Director of OTRACO, reporting to
Jacques Fourie (Vice President of Bridgestone Middle East &
Africa).
As part of Bridgestone’s initiative to improve mobility
solutions and tyre-centric services across all market segments,
the company identified a need in the mining market for
specific mining services and enhancements. “The acquisition of
OTRACO, with their strength in tyre management systems, is an
exciting milestone in our history and presents a new oppor-
tunity to extend our mobility solution offerings to the market.
Together Bridgestone and OTRACO have market leading mining
tyre management and mobility solutions,” says Jacques Fourie,
CEO of Bridgestone Southern Africa.
Going forward, Bridgestone SA will go to market under the
OTRACO banner. “Bridgestone and OTRACO are proud to join
forces, under the OTRACO banner, to offer industry leading
mobility solutions and mining tyre management services to
our valued customers,” says Carl Martins Bridgestone’s Mining
Services Executive Manager. BFA
Bridgestone Southern Africa to
acquire OTRACO Southern Africa
Local automotive intelligence has found
that criminals are now using sophisti-
cated technology to target high-end
and luxury vehicles featuring keyless or
smart entry systems and emergency
start capabilities.
This phenomenon affects automotive
brands across the board, Toyota South
Africa Motors (TSAM) confirms that
it has been proactively conducting
extensive research and development to
enhance its vehicle security systems.
Senior Vice President of Sales and
Marketing at TSAM, Leon Theron
says: “At Toyota, we are committed
to continue with our research and
development to further enhance
our vehicle security systems. I would
also like to add that vehicle owners
will not negate the warranty on their
vehicles should they elect to fit an
aftermarket security device, if these
are installed correctly by a reputable
fitment centre”. BFA
Toyota announces
enhancements to vehicle security
The election of Fikile Mbalula as the
Secretary General of the ANC will require
a replacement as Transport Minister in
the Cabinet of President Cyril Ramaphosa,
and the Automobile Association (AA)
urges the President to make a strong
appointment to this position.
“A new appointment in the important
Transport portfolio is inevitable as
Mbalula takes on his new role within the
ruling party. We urge Ramaphosa and
his advisors to appoint a strong leader
in this position capable of prioritising
the needs of citizens who desperately
require safe, affordable, efficient, and
reliable transport solutions and infra-
structure,” notes the AA.
The AA says while there are many
areas that require attention within this
portfolio, the following key issues must
be dealt with urgently by Mbalula’s
replacement:
Urgent prioritising of road safety
in South Africa, which will require
immediate implementation of the Traffic
Law Enforcement Review Committee
recommendations of 2019 which,
amongst others, call for the doubling
of the current number of traffic law
enforcers on the country’s roads.
Along with their counterpart at the
Department of Trade and Industry more
focus on the immediate implementation
of safer vehicle standards, including the
mandating of displaying safety ratings of
vehicles at point of sale, is required.
Along with their counterpart at the
Department of Justice, road offences
need to be prioritised. Currently road
users flout the rules of the road because
of a lack of consequences. For instance,
only eight % of drivers arrested for drunk
driving are prosecuted.
Comprehensive, practical, and
standardised road safety education
needs to be implemented at all schools
and throughout all grades.
Better co-ordination with the
provincial Departments of Transport and
Public Works is necessary to ensure road
infrastructure is maintained, repaired
where necessary, and created where
the need exists. The country’s crumbling
road infrastructure, especially at regional
and provincial level, is cause for great
concern and will only get worse without
immediate intervention.
A stronger focus on resolving public
transport issues is required to make pub-
lic transport more reliable, affordable,
and safer. This includes resolving issues
within the Public Rail Agency (PRASA)
with a view to ensuring this service is
safer and more reliable for more South
Africans and a re-evaluation of the
Patronage Guarantee paid to the private
company Bombela, which operates the
Gautrain. This service receives billions of
Rands in compensation from the govern-
ment annually for low ridership levels,
money which, in the AA’s view, should
be invested in other public transport
initiatives that serve more people.
“There are many other issues which
require attention, and the new Minister
of Transport will have a full plate to deal
with from day one in the position. For
this reason, it is vital that the President
and his advisors appoint someone who is
not only up to the task of managing such
a vast department, but also someone
who has the political will to affect mean-
ingful change,” concludes the AA. BFA
Hyundai Automotive South Africa is now running its head office in Bedfordview and
several of its Gauteng dealerships on solar power when loadshedding occurs.
At the head office, more than 240 solar panels have been fitted on the roof of the
building, delivering 110 kW on a typical spring sunshine day, says Johan Nel, Regional
General Manager at Hyundai Automotive SA.
Nel says the vision is to expand to more dealerships in Hyundai’s network after
studying the present installations and their performance, which would indicate
which system delivers better results and savings: one using solar panels and batter-
ies for power storage, or the other using solar panels with an inverter only. BFA
Hyundai goes green at HQ
January 2023 | BUSINESS FLEET AFRICA
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Strong leadership needed at
department of transport
neWs
BUSINESS FLEET AFRICA | January 2023
10
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British electric vehicle manufacturer
Tevva has hit another major milestone
after securing European Community
Whole Vehicle Type Approval (ECWVTA)
for its 7.5 ton battery-electric truck. It
means that Tevva can start producing
and selling in volume across the UK and
Europe and represents the key regulato-
ry step in the development and com-
mercialisation of all vehicles, including
electric trucks.
With this Tevva becomes the first
British company to receive EC Whole
Vehicle Type Approval for a 7.5t electric
truck and has moved quickly to get its
first vehicles out to customers. The
first mass produced electric trucks
have commenced delivery from their
UK base and will be eagerly received
by customers including Expect
Distribution, Travis Perkins and Royal
Mail. The company expects to sell up
to 1 000 electric trucks in 2023.
Tevva’s 7.5t electric truck offers
a range of up to 227 kilometres from its
105kWh battery on a single charge and
is ideal for last-mile and urban delivery
fleets. It will be followed later in 2023
by a 7.5t hydrogen-electric truck, which
benefits from a hydrogen range-extend-
er that enhances vehicle range to up
to 570km. BFA
In 2023 FAW plan to introduce several new models in all seg-
ments, further expanding the already comprehensive product
offering and ensuring that they can continue to meet the needs
of the South African customers, with a wide variety of solutions
and the latest technology, across all segments of the commer-
cial vehicle industry.
One of FAW Trucks’ biggest goals for 2023 is to surpass
15 000 units of production. The manufacturing facility recently
invested in several new employees in order to meet their recent
production milestones and will integrate this additional manpow-
er while also incorporating modifications to the existing factory
processes and technology in order to meet these targets.
“The fact that there are plans in place to reach our 15 000th
unit of production in such a short space of time, is purely based
on demand for the product by local customers who value our
built in Africa, for Africa strategy, says Yongjun Li, CEO of FAW
Trucks South Africa.
FAW Trucks will also be expanding its dealer network to
ensure that they have widespread representation throughout
South Africa to meet this growing demand. This will include the
opening of new dealers in a number of new as well as existing
locations. These dealers will include both fully fledged sales
and service dealers as well as dealers focused solely on service
as the brand endeavours to improve its parts and aftersales
distribution and servicing ability, especially in close to proximity
to large fleet owners or operations.
FAW Trucks look forward to celebrating its 30th year in South
Africa in 2023. Over three decades they have grown in popu-
larity and market share by offering customers products that
represent excellent value for money in the extra-heavy, heavy,
medium and light commercial vehicle segments and they will
continue to do so. BFA
Tevva receives
vehicle type approval
FAW Trucks looks forward
to an exciting 2023