Tornado wreakes havoc at dealership

Serious damage was caused to Westvaal Motor Group’s Isuzu and Suzuki dealership in Welkom when a tornado hit the town this past Sunday shortly after midday. The estimated damage to the dealership could exceed a million rand.

25 Tornado1

Piet Botha, Dealer Principal at the well-known landmark dealership in the Circle City, tells Dealerfloor that the damage was caused at both the new and used vehicle showrooms with the big 10 x 10 metre windows blown out and damage to the roof that saw large parts of the ceiling collapse.

The workshop’s roller door was also ripped off and the outside washing bay totally collapsed. In the front of the dealership, the forecourt experienced severe damage, especially on the shop side. The forecourt is, however, not part of Westvaal’s operation.

25 Tornado2
25 Tornado3
25 Tornado4
25 Tornado5
25 Tornado2
25 Tornado3
25 Tornado4
25 Tornado5

“We are still busy repairing the affected areas, and the huge glass panels are being re-assembled in Gauteng. Notwithstanding the damage, we are open for business from sales to services as well as our parts division, and customers are more than welcome to visit us,” Piet says.

  • Welkom’s emergency services were not spared the impact of the tornado devastating the local fire brigade’s building housing, among others, the fire trucks and other emergency units, a school, other businesses and a number of houses.

Dealerfloor wishes Westvaal and others affected all the best in getting everything up and running again.

More Dealer News stories

Supergroup Dealerships welcomes new MG Dealerships

Supergroup Dealerships welcomes new MG Dealerships

Supergroup Dealerships announced the upcoming launch of four new MG dealerships as part of its growing portfolio. The new locations that are set to open soon, include three on the East Rand, one in Rustenburg and one in Paarl, Western Cape.

  • 13 December 2024
Updated Magnite, the jewel in the Nissan crown

Updated Magnite, the jewel in the Nissan crown

The Nissan Magnite seems to have captured the imagination of traditional as well as new buyers of the brand. With an updated Magnite recently launched and arriving at dealerships currently, there is good interest from prospective buyers of small Crossovers with a strong SUV character.

  • 11 December 2024
The year 2024 under review

The year 2024 under review

As 2024 draws to a close, I think it is pertinent to look back at some of the articles that I have written this year. I always try to concentrate on the basics and very often they are the areas of a dealership that need continuous and regular focus.

  • 10 December 2024