Lockdown, new child on the way and a good corporate job? Why not leave it to start your own business!
What do you do if you are 29 years old, work in a marketing position for WesBank, recently had a baby and possess a strong entrepreneurial spirit, combined with a pandemic and lockdown? For Suping Selikane that is easy to answer. You start a new car dealership called Selikane Exclusive Motors in Vereeniging in the midst of the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown.
“When I think back to it, it all seems a bit crazy,” Selikane told Dealerfloor recently. “But somehow the stars aligned and with the necessary support, everything is possible.”
Stars? Yes, according to Selikane one of the main stars in this fairytale is Frikkie Botha, owner of Botha & Deysel Executive Cars, who had a profound influence in the career track of Selikane.
“I was at the WesBank branch office in Vereeniging when the telephone at another desk started to ring. Everyone was busy with a conversation close by, and the phone just kept ringing and ringing,” Selikane explained. “Eventually I decided to answer the call and it changed my life.”
According to Selikane the person calling was Frikkie Botha. “I immediately thought the call had something to do with paperwork from one of my colleagues that needed to go to him, but he started talking to me, asking me how I am and then asking me what my plans for my life are.”
Botha told him they must have a coffee and the opportunity arose shortly after that. “I was in Frikkie’s office and we had a coffee while chatting about the industry and the work in general,” Selikane said. “Then he asked me if I want to own my own dealership and do it with him.”
What amazed Selikane the most is how Botha wrote an agreement on a piece of paper, confirming the deal. “I remember asking him ‘Is that all?’ and he confirmed that his word is his bond.”
Today Selikane is proud to be the co-owner of Selikane Exclusive Motors with Botha not only his partner, but most importantly his mentor. “We opened the dealership on the 4th of May, shortly after the hard lockdown and within the first four months I sold 46 vehicles,” Selikane said.
Since then, this native from Bethlehem in the Free State and UFS graduate, revels in the job as DP and co-owner, doing all the marketing himself. “I have always been interested in brands, the reputation of a brand and how to convey a marketing message that can result into sales,” he said. With his wife Lwando doing all the admin and currently training to be the F&I, they make a formidable team working side-by-side to ensure the continued success of the dealership.
September 30, 2025 will be remembered as a landmark day for both the South African automotive sector and for Foton globally, says the Chinese manufacturer after its first pre-production Completely Knocked Down (CKD) Foton pickup rolled off the assembly line at its local plant.
Chinese automotive giant, Chery, is engaged in talks with multiple car manufacturers in South Africa about sharing production facilities to build its vehicles locally, the company's regional chief has revealed to Reuters.
Motor industry leaders are anticipating a sharp fall in American electric vehicle sales after the elimination of a vital R135 000 tax incentive for purchasers.
Advertisement
Advertisement
I have bad reflexes. I was once run over by a car being pushed by two guys
Woody Allen
BNA Motors in Cape Town is celebrating its tenth birthday this year with five separate dealerships in Goodwood and Parow and some major expansion plans for the near future.
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.
