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

ELT Group does it again winning FAW DOTY

ELT Group does it again winning FAW DOTY

FAW Johannesburg South (ELT Group) took the top podium position as Dealer of the Year at FAW Trucks Southern Africa’s 2026 Annual Dealer Conference. It is the fourth time the dealership scooped up the top award.

  • 20 March 2026
Motoring Mavericks shows youth the way in auto careers

Motoring Mavericks shows youth the way in auto careers

With youth unemployment remaining one of South Africa’s biggest challenges, the National Automobile Dealers’ Association (NADA) has launched Motoring Mavericks, a movement designed to show young people that car dealerships offer far more than sales or mechanical jobs.

  • 17 March 2026