Naamsa, the automotive business council, has stressed that the new Automotive Aftermarket Guidelines present “positive disruptions” to the industry for which South Africa’s automotive industry is prepared.
In a slightly amended statement to the one that it issued on Friday, Naamsa said on Tuesday that the implementation of the guidelines from July 2, 2021 will kick-start a series of adjustments in the operational environment of the auto industry.
Naamsa CEO, Mikel Mabasa, reiterated that Naamsa was working with all its members and partners to adequately ensure that the kick-off date for the implementation of the guidelines was not disruptive in any way and that all the principles have been accurately communicated to all its vehicle owners, customers and to the general public.
Mabasa added that Naamsa, working together with all its members and its strategic partners, was ready to accelerate South Africa’s move to a new dispensation that would promote, deepen and broaden inclusion and encourage greater competition and participation of small businesses, particularly those from historically disadvantaged individuals (HDIs) and groups in the community.
“Having registered and internalised how South Africa’s indifferent past affects HDIs’ potential entry into the automotive value chain, Naamsa will be introducing a number of progressive interventions to help us drive holistic transformation efforts of the industry and to assist in lowering barriers to entry and ensure that a greater number of firms, especially firms owned and operated by HDIs and SMEs, have an opportunity to undertake service, maintenance and repairs of motor vehicles within the period covered by a motor vehicle warranty,” he said.
Mabasa said Naamsa has noted with concern some reckless and persistent misrepresentation and miscommunication of what the guidelines were all about.
He lashed out at “individuals and irresponsible groups who have made it their preoccupation to make public pronouncements that misrepresent and/or distort the true meaning behind the intent and the spirit of some of the principles within the guidelines in order to advance their narrow selfish commercial interests.
“To this effect, Naamsa will join the Competition Commission to distribute public educational material in order to intensify accurate messaging campaigns around the guidelines,” he said.
Mabasa added that as part of Naamsa’s engagement efforts, the council will meet with the Competition Commission in the coming weeks to share the industry’s general state of readiness for the implementation of the guidelines on July 1, 2021.
“We are mindful that not all our members are at the same level or state of readiness,” he said.
The Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) announced its participation in the sixth annual Smarter Mobility Africa summit, which kicked of 1 October and continues till the 4 October at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg.
South Africa’s first electric minibus taxi model, the eKamva, was launched by a consortium led by GoMetro, alongside an integrated new electric vehicle (EV) business model and charging infrastructure product called flx EV at the Smarter Mobility Africa summit.
A modest increase in passenger car sales in an overall market that continued its downward trend in September 2024 offered hope that the market may be slowly turning, says National Automobile Dealers Association (Nada) national chairperson, Brandon Cohen.
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You can't buy happiness but you can buy cars and that's kind of the same thing.
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The Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) announced its participation in the sixth annual Smarter Mobility Africa summit, which kicked of 1 October and continues till the 4 October at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg.
A modest increase in passenger car sales in an overall market that continued its downward trend in September 2024 offered hope that the market may be slowly turning, says National Automobile Dealers Association (Nada) national chairperson, Brandon Cohen.
The National Association of Automotive Component and Allied Manufacturers (NAACAM), in partnership with the Toyota Wessels Institute of Manufacturing Studies (TWIMS), held a breakfast seminar for NAACAM members and key stakeholders from the public and private sector.
