The Human Auto Group in the Free State and Northern Cape once again showed its strength, winning the Group Dealer of the Year for the 6th consecutive time at the recently held Ford Recognition Awards.
Under the leadership of Dealer Principal, Des Williams, Human Auto Bloemfontein also walked away with the top title as the National Dealer of the Year and winner in Class A while another one of the group’s dealerships, Human Auto Welkom won Class B and various staff members walked away with trophies across different departments.
Neale Hill, President of Ford Motor Company, Africa, reinforced the importance of long-term commitment in his address to the network.
“Strong businesses support society. We believe in doing this generationally, not transactionally. Longevity is what we believe in, for over 100 years in South Africa. Tonight, we celebrate not only performance, but partnership, resilience and the shared commitment that continues to strengthen Ford’s presence across this region,” Neale says.
Pine Pienaar, Managing Director of the Human Auto Group, tells Dealerfloor he is immensely proud of the team. “We manage to record one of our best award-winning achievements during the troubled year where we had to say goodbye to Jacques Strydom, the owner of the Human Auto Group, on 7 February last year.
“We will stay a family-owned business with all the inherent core values associated with it and which served us well over the years. Jacques built a legacy that now continues with his daughters, Chrisel and Jazelle.
“Everyone across the group know what to do and teamwork has always been at the centre of our success. Although a traumatic experience losing a leader and friend like Jacques, he left behind an experienced and dedicated team which is reflected in our success every year when it comes to the Ford Dealer of the Year Awards,” Pine tells Dealerfloor.
Neale Hill says the event is about more than awards. “It’s about acknowledging the hard work, dedication and commitment that our dealer network and their teams demonstrate every single day. Their resilience and drive for excellence continue to set new benchmarks for the Ford brand.”
Contribution awards recognise leadership and legacy:
A highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Ford Contribution Awards, recognising individuals whose leadership and long-standing commitment have left a meaningful impact on Ford’s journey in Southern Africa and beyond.
This year’s recipients were Colin Lazarus, Lazarus Ford, South Africa, John Landey, Eagle Motor City, South Africa and Robert Hudson, Salvador Caetano, Angola.
Celebrating generations: Long service awards:
The 2025 Recognition Awards also spotlighted extraordinary long service milestones within the dealer network, reinforcing Ford’s deep-rooted presence in South and sub-Sahara Africa.
50-year anniversary award recipients: Basil Green Auto and Casseys Auto Springs.
75-year anniversary award recipient: Hi Auto, Escourt, KZN.
100-year anniversary award recipient: McGee and Company, Lydenburg.
Sub-Saharan Africa sales distributor of the year awards:
Recognising outstanding distributor performance across sales, aftersales, Ford Protect and customer excellence in Sub-Saharan and North Africa:
Group B winner: Kennedy Kabaghe, CFAO Mobility, Malawi
Group A winner: Antony Haji, CMC Automobiles Ltd, Tanzania
South African Dealer of the Year 2025 winners:
Category D - Johan Barnard, B & R Motors
Category C - Marthinus Linde, Action Ford Mokopane
Category B - Pierre Beukes, Human Auto Welkom
Category A - Des Williams, Human Auto Bloemfontein
National Dealer of the Year 2025: Des Williams, Human Auto Bloemfontein
Group Dealer of the Year 2025: Pine Pienaar, Human Auto Group
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