A story of a dream come true for Robert Maposa (43), a gardener at one stage and now an LLB-graduate receiving his first car.
Hard work, passion and perseverance paid off for Robert this month when he realised another one of his dreams: owning his own car.
It all happened with the help of multiple generous supporters, who raised more than R80 000 for his first car through a crowdfunding campaign, and the support of Kia’s Certified Pre-Owned Program, Kia Konfidence.
Robert is now the proud owner of a low mileage, fully tested, fully guaranteed Kia Rio 1.2 LS that will allow him to pursue his dream job.
He has tended the garden of the same Pretoria family for the last 15 years, but the Mamelodi-resident had much bigger dreams: a better life for his supportive wife, Hitahlula, and their two children, Wonderful and Timothy.
Robert’s first goal? Getting his matric, which he did at age 28. Then followed an LLB degree through UNISA, funded through various odd jobs, before graduating with distinction. The next step: finding a job in the field of law that he always dreamed about.
Personal mobility posed a big challenge for Robert, as he would need a car to deliver and collect documents from the courts and clients. That is where Jonathan Smith came in. The son of the family that Robert works for. Jonathan was so inspired by his story that he decided to launch a crowdfunding campaign to get Robert behind the wheel of his own vehicle.
Soon their BackaBuddy campaign gained momentum, and to date they have raised more than R80 000. Following an appeal from the family matriarch, Ina Smith, Kia was so inspired by Robert’s story that the brand decided to match the funds raised by the BackaBuddy campaign and source a vehicle for Robert through the Kia Konfidence Program.
“Robert’s story of passion and perseverance is closely aligned with Kia’s belief that movement inspires ideas, and his incredible achievements are a huge inspiration to us,” says Gareth van der Westhuizen, General Manager of Kia Konfidence.
Says Robert: “Kia is one of my favourite brands. This Rio will allow me to excel when I get a job and to create more opportunities for my family. Thank you!”
BMW has inaugurated its most technologically advanced manufacturing plant in Debrecen, Hungary, setting new benchmarks for sustainable automotive production. The facility will commence production of the BMW iX3 series, the first vehicle in the company's next-generation Neue Klasse range, in late October.
Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) has introduced a round of important updates to the Toyota Starlet and Starlet Cross ranges.
Audi South Africa introduced the new Audi S3 Sportback and S3 Sedan with increased performance, a torque splitter, advanced driving dynamics and a sharpened design.
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If you are not taking care of your customer, your competitor will.
Bob Hooey
Nissan Africa’s best dealers from across sub-Saharan Africa are Anciens Comptoirs Ries of Djibouti in the Small National Sales Company of the Year category, Motus Zambia as the best Medium National Sales Company of the Year and Japan Motors in Ghana as the best Large National Sales Company of the Year.
Changan South Africa recently gathered its dealer network for a two-day Dealer Training Conference in Pretoria.
Speaking at the recent DealerCon, Brandon Cohen (photo), Chairperson of the National Automobile Dealers’ Association (NADA), highlighted the pressures facing South Africa’s new car dealerships and outlined how it was helping members navigate an increasingly complex and competitive market.
