Business at Ford’s manufacturing plant in Silverton Pretoria is getting back to normal but the risk of interrupted power supply remains, Ford says.
The problems arose when overhead powerlines collapsed over the N4 on 10 April after a huge storm that left large parts of Pretoria, especially in the eastern part of the city, without electricity. This included the Ford plant and related industries in the Ford supply chain.
Production was suspended on 11 April and restored in stages starting on the evening of April 12, when production has slowly resumed.
The estimated total loss of production during the down days was 1 440 units. and a dark picture of the impact of the shutdown for an extended period was sketched by Ford Africa’s president, Neale Hill.
Ford tells Dealerfloor that the scale of the Eskom infrastructure concern holds the risk of interrupted supply. “However, we continue to liaise with Eskom and local government as they work to balance the system and fully restore the network.”
The newly upgraded Silverton plant is currently the second largest in the world producing the new generation Ford Ranger as well as the Volkswagen Amarok, both for local consumption and export to more than 100 markets. More than 700 Ranger pick-ups are manufactured in Pretoria every day utilising three shifts working at the plant.
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You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do.
Henry Ford
The Automotive Business Council (naamsa) recently submitted its quarterly review of business conditions for the South African motor vehicle manufacturing industry, during the second quarter of 2025, to the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTCI).
Africa's automotive sector is experiencing a significant transformation, with Morocco emerging as a rising star while traditional leader, South Africa, faces mounting challenges.
After an absence if six years, Tata passenger vehicles are back with a bang in South Africa. The last model launched locally was the Bolt, which followed in the tracks of the more well-known Indica.
