With the motto to start from the bottom and work your way up, and a lifelong experience as a versatile specialist in the automotive diesel electric business of William Swarts from Worcester who has just retired after more than four decades in this trade.
William is on accumulated leave before his official retirement at the end of September 2020 after working as Parts Sales Executive at Diesel Electric Worcester for 41 years.
Born and bred in this Western Cape town, William started his career as parts clerk at Diesel Electric after a short stint at Nautilus Marine in Cape Town. He finished school after gaining his matric certificate in 1972, earning up to R30 a month until he joined Diesel Electric in his hometown on the 8th of August 1975.
“I started at the bottom, stripping parts from old vehicles, cleaning and repairing them and eventually ending up in the parts sales division where I served thousands of customers over the years.”
Apart from attending various training courses, William was one of a handful of candidates from across the country who won a trip to Germany in 1987 for training at the Bosch headquarters and a week of sightseeing.
He also visited Zimbabwe to gain further knowledge of the products supplied by his company, but for the rest of his career, he never worked beyond the borders of Worcester.
Highlights of his private life include his marriage to Clarisa and the birth of their two daughters, Natasha and Sue-Ann.
William is an active community member in Worcester where he serves on the church of the VGK Worcester East community church, including field work in neighbouring areas, inter alia, Nuy, Overhex and De Doorns. He is also actively involved with the Christelike Afhanklikheidsbediening (CAB).
“I am a community person. I love serving the people in our community, and I serve as chairman of the Worcester-gemeenskapsleersentrum (ABET). I am an active management member of the Bruin Belange initiative and for the last 25 years, I have been chairman of the welfare initiative, Chipros.”
Asked about his life-long work experience and advice to youth leaving school soon, William is not shy to say what he thinks: “Get off the streets. You have to be prepared to start from the bottom and work your way up."
MISA, the Motor Industry Staff Association (MISA), welcomes Chery’s investment in South Africa with the acquisition of Nissan’s historic production plant in Rosslyn, Pretoria, which will offer employment to the majority of Nissan’s affected employees.
Nissan has revealed key details of the all new Nissan Tekton, a compact SUV that will form the centrepiece of the brand’s upcoming product rollout and is expected to arrive in South Africa during 2026.
Range anxiety, a “chronic illness” most electric vehicle drivers experience, has been turned on its head by Volvo with its latest EX60 range.
Advertisement
Advertisement
You can't buy happiness but you can buy cars and that's kind of the same thing.
Unknown
Hyundai Automotive South Africa has officially opened its Hyundai Sandton City dealership at 183 Rivonia Road in Sandton, Africa’s most influential business district.
In an era when a vehicle purchase can be completed entirely online, from selecting trim levels to signing contracts digitally, the vast majority of South Africans continue to favour physical showrooms over virtual platforms.
“I am an electric vehicle convert, and it took me two years to secure the franchise rights of the EV brand I most admire and have been driving for some time, BYD,” says Marius du Toit, Managing Director of the 4Wheels Motor Group, which has several other dealerships of different brands in its portfolio.
