Public Eye
Life&Style FRIDAY JUNE 15, 2018
WEEKLY MAGAZINE
Ode to the fathers who are dads
Breakthrough in Lesotho tourism
“Anyone can be a father, but it takes a real man to be a daddy” – Anonymous This is a tribute to the Daddies who adore their children & choose to spend quality time with them. The daddies who ensure that no matter how busy life gets, they learn the personalities & character traits of their children, so that they know how to truly have fun with them. The dads who know how to make their children laugh when they are sad. This is to the fathers that go to the school concerts, the sports days and the drama club shows. The dads that help with the school drop offs and pick-ups. The fathers that help with homework so they are in tune with their children’s school performance and progress. The dads that dance funny and teach their children the humour in laughing at themselves in a healthy way because life is too short to walk around grumpy. This is a tribute to the dads that understand and appreciate the humanity, individuality and uniqueness of their children. The dads that value the opinions and perspectives of their children. The fathers that lead by example by being the best people they can be in order to teach, challenge, influence and inspire their children to do the same. This is to the fathers that teach their children to appreciate what they have; to respect the hard work it takes to put food on the table and to ensure a good education. To the fathers that teach their children to value and respect the gift of life; theirs and those of others. To the fathers that commit their lives to providing for their families no matter what. This is a tribute to the dad that will protect and defend his children; but who will also lovingly discipline them when needed. The dad that will die for his children but will not allow his children to get away with murder. The father that will teach and encourage outmost responsibility in his children. This is an Ode to the father that demonstrates unconditional love and affection towards his children and his wife. The dad that is a leader, a teacher, a friend, a provider, a protector, a counsellor, a companion and a lover of his family. Happy Father’s Day from Pioneer Mall.
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Friday June 15, 2018
Public Eye
Style Focus IN THE GROOVE With RELEBOHILE TSOAMOTSE
At last there is hope for our artistes The launch of OYM Tunes is proof that our music industry is capable of getting where all of us want it to get. OYM Tunes is a web platform that allows online streaming and downloads created for the greatest hits that ever came out of the kingdom. It is a strictly local platform and has all genres of music from which buyers can choose their favourite. Being the first local platform for local artistes to sell and distribute their music digitally, I am confident the application will add value to our music industry. OYM Tunes is the answer to local artistes’ struggle to sell their music. Buyers can use platforms like mobile money and debits cards to buy local tunes, thanks to the brilliant idea by Lesotho Music Rights Association (LEMRA) President Sir Schaba and all those that have worked with him to bring this big project to life. I am personally excited about this platform and believe it is a step towards achieving even greater things to our empower artistes. However, the launch of OYM Tunes should also serve as a wake-up call to our artistes to take their craft seriously so that buying or supporting local becomes easy for people who insist that local artistes never care to invest in the quality of their music. I am hoping the introduction of this platform will change the mindset of many artistes who enter into music solely for their music to trend, not necessarily to sell their music. In scrutinising the current state of our music industry, it is evident that our industry is full of artistes who are into music just for fame, and not necessarily for selling their music. I am not saying all artistes are like that but it is a well-known fact that local artistes lack the mindset of producing music for sale. Even for those who wished to sell their music, it has not been easy for making a career out of music. I understand that OYM Tunes will also asses the quality of music before making it available on the platform for people to view and download therefore artistes seriously need to work on the quality of their music to make it there. Kudos to Sir Schaba for providing such an amazing platform for our local artistes. I have no doubt that the launch of OYM Tunes will go a long way in ensuring that the work of many artistes finally pays off. Local artistes have been crying non-stop about little or no support from fellow Basotho and this platform will definitely make it easy to support our very own.
Breakthrough in Lesotho tourism RELEBOHILE TSOAMOTSE
M
ASERU - Lesotho is known for its natural beauty yet the world still does not know enough about the breathtaking scenery and the variety of adventurous activities Lesotho has to offer. A lot still has to be done to market the country and publicise its tourism offerings. The reason the world has not come to know about Lesotho’s scenery and its adventurous activities well is that citizens have not appreciated these natural endowments well enough to take advantage of them when promoting tourism. Lesotho’s tourism strength and potential in boosting the country’s economy calls for the need to continuously sell Lesotho’s tourism attractions not only to the world out there but also to local citizens who in turn can influence tourists to visit country. Leseli Tours, a local tour and shuttle company, hosted South African Tourism officials together with some South African tour operators to acquaint them with Lesotho’s tourism offering this past week in an effort to market the excellent beauty of Lesotho. This was done in a bid to promote and boost the local tourism industry while also showing the country’s tourism attractions. The officials were invited by Leseli Tours and during their stay in the country, visit ed different tourist destinations where they were exposed to the beauty of the country inspiring them to influence their South African counterparts to also visit Lesotho. Among the officials present for the tour was South African High Commissioner to Lesotho, His Excellency Sello Moloto.
The officials visited Maletsunyane Falls in Semonkong where they engaged in horse riding as well as the Hlotse Craft Centre before attending the Afriski Music and Winter Festival at Afriski Snow and Mountain Resort where they experienced snow, snowballing and skiing. The tour operators who have been visiting the local destinations since their arrival in the country have since developed working relations and built mutual relationships with different tourist attractions as well as the local lodges and guest houses where they have been to. The relations they have built, according to them, would see the exchange of tourists between the two countries and they are confident that the relations will be of mutual benefit. Refilwe Tladi, who the managing director of Thalerra Tours based in Rustenburg South Africa, told Public Eye that their stay in Lesotho has been wonderful and they have seen opportunities for future collaboration. They added that they came to look for attractions to sell to their clients and are satisfied with what they have seen in Lesotho. She said she did not know that much about Lesotho until her recent visit and would definitely come back to learn more about what Lesotho has to offer. Asked how she would be selling the destinations she has been to in Lesotho to her clients in South Africa, Tladi said she would be selling packages for her clients who wish to visit Lesotho. She revealed there were already people who have shown interest by enquiring after they shared the experiences of their stay in Lesotho on their social media pages. “With social media, you never go wrong, we are already getting inquiries from people who see us on our social media platform asking what places we are in and how they can get here,” she said. Tladi further pointed out that it would not be only South Africans to whom she would sell what she experienced in Lesotho to but the rest of the world. Founder of Leseli Tours, Rethabile Morake told Public Eye in interview that he
had invited his South African counterparts to show them the unique tourism offering that Lesotho has while paving the way for future collaborations in an effort to foster better tourism relations between the two countries. He said Lesotho as a country has a lot to offer through tourism and that its economic breakthrough can be found in the area of tourism. “I invited the South African Tourism officials and tour operators to introduce them to our tourism attractions as a country so that they can assist us to bring tourists to Lesotho. “The main aim of this tour is to sell our country to these people,” he said. Morake further disclosed that his organisation is working hard to make the tourism exchange between the two countries easier and inviting their South African counterparts was one of his initiatives. Realising the wise move by Leseli Tours, Lesotho Tourism Development Corporation (LTDC), an establishment mandated to market and sell Lesotho as an excellent tourism destination also collaborated with Leseli Tours in their quest to sell Lesotho’s tourism opportunities. LTDC embarked on their Visit Lesotho First campaign and brought to the Afriski Winter and Music Festival different stakeholders to introduce them to the local tourism environment. Security sectors including the Lesotho Mounted Police Services, the National Security Services (NSS) and the Lesotho Correctional Services (LCS) were invited by the corporation. They were brought in to have a feel of the local tourism and travel so that they can share with colleagues, families and their circle of friends about the art of travelling and the importance of visiting their own country before others. Among its key functions, LTDC is mandated to promote and increase the flow of domestic tourism by marketing internally the unique selling points of Lesotho, to market and promote Lesotho as a preferred destination for tourists in a manner that would contribute to the generation of additional foreign exchange.
Public Eye
Friday June 15, 2018
Health Focus
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Mandela Fellow with a heart of gold
H
aving worked as a counsellor for more than 10 years, Ntsali Khesa is making strides in helping reduce stigma and discrimination around HIV/AIDS locally. Khesa is the 2017 Mandela Washington Fellow through Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) exchange programme in which she honed her skills under the Public Management stream at the University of Wilskon. She was then attached for professional development experience at the Peace Corps headquarters in the United States. Having noticed the vulnerability of many adolescents and children afflicted by the disease, she focuses on encouraging them disclose their status and adhere to their treatment options. She also works on raising awareness by the storytelling approaches. She has focused her efforts in helping individuals access treatment, and on prevention and education by establishing Positive Living, an organisation that helps her pass HIV/AIDS messages such as knowing one’s status, getting treatment and engaging in habits that will build a generation free of the disease. Public Eye Lifestyle Reporter, Relebohile Tsoamotse had a chat with Ntsali Khesa to share insights about her organisation. Public Eye (PE): How did Positive Living come about? Ntsali Khesa: Ntsali Khesa Mohejane, Thabo Motseki and Helena surname came together to start this NGO for adolescents who are positively living with HIV. Our greatest motive is to support and engage the majority of adolescents who are confident and willing to share their HIV stories. The group has genuine interest to associate with other organisations that have compatible and mutually supportive objectives. Our vision is to combat HIV/AIDS and stigma through youth focused education and outreach so as to ultimately achieve an AIDS-free generation. do?
PE: What does Positive Living
Khesa: We provide health education and share life stories on HIV/AIDS, sexual and reproductive health, and related issues by speaking at community centres, schools, health clinics, and on media outlets, so as to spread awareness, reduce stigma, and raise the confidence of HIV positive youth. Our objectives are to exercise the minds of all youth and their families about HIV/AIDS, to liaise with schools to create awareness of HIV/AIDS issues, to provide peer education and activities, testing and counselling of young adults, to encourage HIV testing, combat stigma and discrimination against HIV as well as promote adherence among HIV positive youth while combating isolation. We also seek to increase collaboration between organisations,
through youth focused education and outreach so as to ultimately achieve an AIDS-free generation. PE: Can you reflect on the operations of your organisation? Is it achieving what it was intended to do? Khesa: We have run several youth friendly outreach programmes in several areas. We are doing a live show on one local radio station where our adolescents share their personal stories with the Basotho nation. We strive to enrich the nation with information that is personal. HIV related issues such as ARV adherence, sexual reproductive health, challenges adolescents living with HIV face while in schools.
Ntsali Khesa bodies and individuals, both national and international, involved in HIV advocacy. PE: How do you assist the vic-
tims? Khesa: Our focus lies in counselling. We offer counselling services to them. Our vision is to combat HIV/AIDS and stigma
PE: Who else are you working with on Positive Living Youth outreach programme? Khesa: Mr Thabo Motseki, Ms Helena Hengelbrok, Mrs Lineo Makara Fetjane, Mr Batlokoa Tholo, Mr Mokonenyana Tiea. PE: What are some of the big-
Women Rights activist Chobokoane speaks about upcoming trip to US The 2018 Mandela Washington Fellowship (MFW) invitees include our regular columnist Thato Chobokoane. In the brief interview below, she talks about going to the US. How do you feel about being offered this opportunity? Where are you looking to anticipate your next change? This is a crucial question of leadership. A leader is always evolving, looking to learn and looking to seize moments of great opportunity to better themselves. When I received the call that I had been selected to be one of the 12 finalists for the Mandela Washington Fellowship, to say I was ecstatic is not to adequately describe the emotions. I knew in that moment that a life changing window of opportunity had presented itself and it is completely up to me to seize it. The Mandela Washington Fellowship is the flagship programme of YALI, which is the Young African Leaders Initiative. This year it is the fifth cohort of 700 young African leaders who have been chosen to participate in a this prestigious programme in universities across the United States of America, as facilitated by the United States Embassies across Africa. This opportunity offers great hope, not only for me but for the lives I intend to transform in my journey as a Public Manager. It is needless to mention that the economy is at its knees and our democracy is failing, and to have young enthusiastic Africans learn governance and actively involve
themselves in forging a way forward for Lesotho, I would say the nation as a whole wins. I am happy, for myself, for my fellow members and for Lesotho, which shall reap the rewards of this educational and transformational opportunity afforded the twelve of us by the United States of America. What work do you do here in the country? In my day to day job, I have joined the National University of Lesotho, where I operate the World Food Programme Lesotho’s Feedback Mechanism. This means being the direct liaison between WFP and its beneficiaries. This job has opened me up to knowing that in Lesotho, selflessness is imperative if we are to move forward as a nation because, primarily, a life truly worth living is a life in service to other people. This job is what motivated my application for the Mandela Washington Fellowship. My work as an advocate for the empowerment of women has led to join hands with the correctional facility to create a project that empowers female inmates by equipping them with skills they can turn into a business upon their release. This will help them earn an income which shall be working capital for their small businesses. My column with Public Eye Newspaper on the Women’s Forum as a gender issues commentator also speaks to my passion for women empowerment. Anyone who knows me will attest
to the fact that literature is my first love. I have been performing original works of poetry on stages across the country since 2005. Additionally, I work with BARALI, a Women and Girls Empowerment Organisation headed by a vivacious young woman Lineo Matlakala. We deal with females being aware of their rights, taking matters of their sexual and reproductive health into their hands and being in full ownership of their lives and of their bodies. And in with me in this cohort, are a group of dynamic individuals all doing their part for the betterment of Africa. We have Tieho Mochebelele. We know that technology is the third industrial revolution and he is working to make sure that Basotho are not left behind. Lehlohonolo Mokhoema, the youngest leader of a political party in the country. We have our brothers and sisters in the legal fraternity, Mpho Maema and Lekhooa Mont’si working tirelessly for justice! And our health and social issues advocates are here amongst us: Rethabile Mathealira-Molapo and Phant’si Makubane who will be in the Civil Leadership tracks. We have our Business and Entrepreneurship fellow ‘Maneo Seekane, inspiring other young Basotho men and women to create employment and be self-sufficient. Our hair doctor, is here, Ms Marite, who strives to keep Basotho beautiful! All in all, the 12 of us truly are a remarkable group!
gest achievements of the organization? Khesa: Most of the adolescents who are involved in radio talks are committed to sharing their stories in order to help other people understand HIV issues, eradication of stigma and discrimination. We receive positive feedback from the audience and a lot of youth who did not want to disclose their status are joining the organisation. PE: What have been the challenges and how do you beat them? Khesa: Our biggest challenge is funding. We are still collectively using our personal cash to travel around Lesotho. PE: What are your aspirations for the organisation; where would you like to see it in the future? Khesa: It is my aspiration to see the organisation expanding to all districts and engaging all adolescents who are living with HIV. Moreover, we would like to achieve most of our objectives, especially to realise an HIV-free generation. What are your aspirations after the US trip? From this Fellowship, I want to come back a better person than the lady who will be leaving the shores of Africa in a couple of days. The fellowship offers a great learning opportunity, incubated within some of the world’s greatest academic institutions. More than the opportunity to learn about American culture and take for Africa the best practices that can surely shape our continent for the better, we are given a chance to interact and learn from some of Africa’s greatest youthful minds. That, for me, will give me the greatest lessons. It is Africans afterall, who have the greatest power to transform Africa. I always say, that before I am Mosotho, I am an African. This fellowship offers us young Africans to broaden our networks across Africa. We are to become resources for other people and their connections into institutions around the country which will foster collaborations. I aspire to see Africa as a land of brothers and sisters, more societal harmony which will encourage trade and industry to thrive. It is initiatives like the MWF that can act as a starting point for such collaboration. Additionally, I wish to offer more to Lesotho; to be more and to give more. Already I am passionate about women empowerment and I hope upon my return I will be able to find more opportunities to be a resource to my fellow African women and to be a stronger voice of hope, strength, courage and wisdom. I want to shape the future and not merely keep reacting to my circumstances. I hope this experience will fortify my will to be more than I am today; reach for greater heights.
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Friday June 15, 2018
Public Eye
Style Focus
How far do women tolerate philandering men?
RAY MUNGOSHI
M
ASERU – Adolescent Basotho women are taught to respect their man as head of the family. In fact, the teaching goes as far as instructing them not to question their man’s extramarital activities, including affairs and nocturnal deeds. This is ostensibly in tandem with the age-old adage that “a man is like a pumpkin plant that spreads its stem to encroach even on neighbouring fields”. Using Basotho tools of interpretation, this loosely translates to giving men the licence to philander and ravish any woman they desire, that woman’s marital status notwithstanding. The saying doesn’t end there though. It continues: “Women, on the other hand, are like cab-
bages which sprout in one spot and blossoms there, adding layer upon layer of leaves until it matures into a bulbous whole”. This, traditionalists opine, means the woman is the vanguard of the household. She is the builder and the one that holds the centre together allowing the “adventurous pumpkin” to spread its tentacles and sow its wild oats unhindered – unintended consequences aside. This narrative seems to be so dominant that some opinion leaders – including radio presenters – have latched onto it and use it as a basis for excoriating those who espouse a contrary viewpoint. Recently, a former radio presenter on the Popular PC FM was heard drumming this thinking into her audience arguing this is the Basotho way. The practice, she argued, should be upheld into perpetuity.
The crux of their message is that women – especially hotheaded youngsters – should not question their men even if they were to stagger home in the wee hours of the morning, reeking of another woman’s perfume and other unmentionable smells. Their only question, the presenter offered without much prompting, should be: “What do you want to have first, Ntate, ‘your food, or me?’” The presenter’s standpoint flies in the face of the notion expressed by some women last week that they would never share their men. They were of the view that sharing men was patriarchal and a throwback to the pre-colonial era when polygamy was actively encouraged. But what do men think about this? “Ntate, if a woman agrees to my advances I will chow (her) whether she is married or not,”
chuckles Burly*. “Everyone is doing it in Lesotho, so why shouldn’t I? Men sleep with other men’s wives. It is common and everybody knows that,” he said. The practice was pervasive, he said, in spite of the obvious dangers it attracted. “Men don’t like sharing their wives and will kill to protect in defence of their territory,” he added. When it was pointed out to him that his statement was ironic and contradictory in that he had no qualms about sleeping with other men’s wives but would kill anyone who flirted with his; he retorted: “It is natural for men not to want to share their wives.” “Akere, Ntate it is animalistic for a male to have a number of females around him to do with as he pleases? That is what we do. But if another male enters my pride I will fight to keep the intruder out.” He, however, said men would willingly share single women. “Look, the thing is that if a man is dating a woman, he knows she is dating other people so he will also date other women on the side,” said Burly, debunking the view held by a bevy of women quoted in last week’s Public Eye. A woman who asked not to be identified said women saying they do not share men were being disingenuous. “It is chow, chow all round: a chain of chowing.” But the opinion that women are amendable to sharing their men because of their upbringing was dismissed by Bulane* who insisted there had been a sea change in the way Basotho approached matters of the heart. “Gone are the days when men held sway over these matters because women are now just as educated and able to produce for themselves as men,” he said. At the height of the South African mining boom in the 1970s, men were the major breadwinners in most households and could thus ride roughshod over women.
The men left their families at home and this transient lifestyle led to sexual permissiveness. “It is a known fact that some men are kept by their wives who have good jobs. So what woman will put food on your table, buy you a car and then allow you to philander at will. “The man on top scenario was true in our parents’ time not anymore. She will chuck you out my brother if you think you are the modern-day Lothario,” he said. Lesotho has over the last few decades progressed in leap and bounds in bridging the gender gap earning itself a creditable 43 ranking with the World Economic Forum (WEF) in 2017. This almost accidental development stems from the largescale migration of men to work in South Africa’s mines and as herd boys, allowing women to take up school places and jobs. Since government introduced free primary education literacy rates among women have shot up dramatically outstripping men as 95 percent of women are now able to read and write, compared with 83 percent of men. This is filtering into the jobs market where a plethora of women such as Chief Justice Nthomeng Majara, Central Bank governor Dr. Retselisitsoe Matlanyane and Auditor General Lucy Liphafa are women. Also, the bulk of the 40,000 workers in the energetic textile sector situated in the industrial hub of Maseru and Maputsoe are women, although their wages still hover below the breadline. This Bulane concedes makes less educated women more likely to condone cheating partners than their savvier peers. “There is no debating the fact that poor women desperate for a man to take care of them will accept a lot of unsavoury business just to keep the provider happy. But this is an archaic view that should not be punted ad nauseum.” *Names withheld to conceal sources’ identities
Sandton Dolls who pocket R100k a month to party THEMBISILE MAKGALEMELE Cape Town - Their work outfits consist of Peruvian weaves, skimpy clothes and high heels. They start when most people are heading home and they can earn up to R100 000 a month. Theirs is a life of partying, networking, entertainment and more partying and their idol is socialite Khanyi Mbau. Welcome to the world of Innocentia Morolong and Eva Modika – the smoking hot twosome who call themselves the Sandton Dolls. These two get paid to show up, host, dance and hype up clubs around Johannesburg, rubbing shoulders with the who’s who of politics and business. But they aren’t blessees or slay queens. It’s honest work, they insist
- although there’s nothing ordinary about it. “We’re party hostesses,” Innocentia (25) says. Their job, she explains, is to create hype about a club so that rich people will go there and spend loads of money. Every week they get calls from clubs to work as hostesses at the weekend and they can make up to R30 000 a night. “If Eva gets a call, I go with her just to support her and she also returns the favour,” Innocentia says. The job starts immediately by promoting said party on social media. Constant posts containing information about the party dominate their social media and on the day Innocentia and Eva (23) go all out, decking themselves out in glitzy clothes that leave
little to the imagination, a bit of make-up, expensive shoes – which sometimes run up to R10 000 - and their trusted weaves. “Our job is to get people to clubs so we can party with them as they spend money on expensive drinks,” Eva explains. Sometimes their targets spend up to R150 000 a night on alcohol alone, and the Dolls get a percentage of that. “The other night a famous politician spent R130 000,” adds their friend Tebogo Ramokgadi, who joins in the conversation. Their job is getting the right people to the club and entertaining them once they’re there. “We dance all night. We’re not the type to sit in a corner and look pretty. We’re fun to be around and that’s why a lot of people want to hang out with us.
Innocentia Morolong, left, and Eva Modika, right We make a party fun. We’re loud and exciting.” The more money patrons spend, the more money the Dolls make. They can pocket anything from R5 000 to R30 000 in a night, they reveal. “Every club is different and the percentage we get varies from
club to club,” Eva adds. “It can go up to 30%. The more posh the club, the more money we make. “Our income can be over R100 000 in a month if we get paid close to R30 000 for four nights in a month,” she says. -Channel24
Wheels Public Eye
JUNE 15, 2018
Quick Facts In 1935, the SS Jaguar name first appeared on a 2.5-litre saloon and sports models of which were the SS 90 and SS 100. The name changed from Swallow Sidecar Company to Jaguar Cars Ltd, in 1945. Jaguar's sales slogan for years was “Grace, Space, Pace”. The XJ220 was the world's fastest production car in 1992.
Jaguar - classy and extravagant RETHABILE MOHONO
M
ASERU - It’s not always about the price tag, but about e x c l u s i v i t y, comfort and extravagance. Since the introduction of Jaguar vehicle models in 1935, Jaguar has proved to the motoring world that luxury, classiness, and sophistication is all the brand believes in. For 17 years, the Jaguar brand has been operating in Bloemfontein, catering for a wide market segmentation, proudly displaying its powerful cats in the New CI ARCH Jaguar Building situated at 52 Zastron Street, CBD, Bloemfontein. The award-winning Jaguar range makes an impressive lineup. T h e c l o s e r yo u ge t , t h e better they look with a standard s p e c i f i ca t i o n t h a t i n c l u d e s advanced technology. Why wait to drive perfection? The brand not only produces luxury, sporty and family vehicles but also offers a faster and tranquil way to service its products. Jaguar vehicle users can n ow b o o k Ja g u a r s e r v i c e s appointments online using its new integrated booking facility. By simply entering the details of the car, choose retailer and select service options, choose date and time and the appointment would be confirmed via email. Ja g u a r w i l l a l s o s e n d a reminder, prior to the service of the vehicle.
The Jaguar I-PACE To make it even easier, Jaguar staff also call Jaguar users to schedule a suitable time and date for their vehicles’ service. Sales Executive at Jaguar Bloemfontein, Leseli Letseka, pointed out that Jaguar currently consists of over six derivative vehicles to choose from, with the exciting full electric vehicle, the Jaguar I-PACE, on its way. Letseka listed the following Jaguar vehicles that are on offer: • Ja g u a r X E -T h e m o s t advanced, efficient and refined
sports sedan car that Jaguar has ever produced. • Jaguar XF –The multi-award winning XF’s innovative design and refined engineering deliver performance without compromising on fuel efficiency. • Jaguar F-PACE – This new performance crossover is the latest in our dynamic and seductive bloodline. • Jaguar E-PACE – Jaguar’s first compact SUV is a unique combination of looks, agility
and dynamic driving. • Jaguar F-TYPE – F-TYPE is a true Jaguar sports car that delivers the look, the feel, the performance and handling of a Jaguar. • Jaguar XJ – Seductive design, intuitive technology and exhilarating performance: XJ is much more than a luxury sedan. With the above-mentioned Ja g u a r p ro d u c ts , L e ts e ka ex p l a i n e d , fo r o n e ge t to experience premium quality in
every aspect of the vehicle. “It def ines the art of performance, making Jaguar the alpha in its class,” Letseka said. After the launch of the New Jaguar E-PACE, Letseka said Jaguar experienced a “wide interest in our product and especially from different market segments”. “Jaguar is definitely setting the trend in premium automotive design and technology, which our market truly appreciates and enjoys at the same time.”
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Friday June 15, 2018
Public Eye
Wheels
Jaguar; the most compelling car of all time
J
aguar is the luxury vehicle brand of Jaguar Land Rover, a British multinational car manufacturer with its headquarters in Whitley, Coventry, England and owned by the Indian company Tata Motors since 2008. Jaguar Cars was the company that was responsible for the production of Jaguar cars until its operations were fully merged with those of Land Rover to form Jaguar Land Rover on 1 January 2013. Jaguar’s business was founded as the Swallow Sidecar Company in 1922, originally making motorcycle sidecars before developing bodies for passenger cars. Under the ownership of S. S. Cars Limited the business extended to complete cars made in association with Standard Motor Co, many bearing Jaguar as a model name. The company’s name was changed from S. S. Cars to Jaguar Cars in 1945. A merger with the British Motor Corporation followed in 1966, the resulting enlarged company now being renamed as British Motor Holdings (BMH), which in 1968 merged with Leyland Motor Corporation and became British Leyland, itself to be nationalised in 1975. Jaguar was spun off from British Leyland and was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1984, becoming a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index until it was acquired by Ford in 1990. Jaguar has, in recent years, manufactured cars for the British Prime Minister, the most recent delivery being an XJ in May 2010. The company also holds royal warrants from Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles. In 1990 Ford acquired Jaguar Cars and it remained in their ownership, joined in 2000 by Land Rover, till 2008. Ford then sold both Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata Motors. Tata created Jaguar Land Rover as a subsidiary holding company. At operating company level, in 2013 Jaguar Cars was
merged with Land Rover to form Jaguar Land Rover Limited as the single design, manufacture, sales company and brand owner for both Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles. Since the Ford ownership era, Jaguar and Land Rover have used joint design facilities in engineering centres at Whitley in Coventry and Gaydon in Warwickshire and Jaguar cars have been assembled in plants at Castle Bromwich and Solihull. Founding The Swallow Sidecar Company was founded in 1922 by two motorcycle enthusiasts, William Lyons and William Walmsley. In 1934 Walmsley elected to sell-out and in order to buy the Swallow business (but not the company which was liquidated) Lyons formed S.S. Cars Limited finding new capital by issuing shares to the public. Jaguar first appeared in September 1935 as a model name on an SS 2½-litre sports saloon. A matching open two seater sports model with a 3½-litre engine was named SS Jaguar 100. On 23 March 1945 the S. S. Cars shareholders in general meeting agreed to change the company’s name to Jaguar Cars Limited. Said chairman William Lyons “Unlike S. S. the name Jaguar is distinctive and cannot be connected or confused with any similar foreign name.” Though five years of pent-up demand ensured plenty of buyers production was hampered by shortage of materials, particularly steel, issued to manufacturers until the 1950s by a central planning authority under strict government control. Jaguar sold Motor Panels, a pressed steel body manufacturing company bought in the late 1930s, to steel and components manufacturer Rubery Owen, and Jaguar bought from John Black’s Standard Motor Company the plant where Standard built Jaguar’s six-cylinder engines From this time Jaguar was entirely
dependent for their bodies on external suppliers, in particular then independent Pressed Steel and in 1966 that carried them into BMC, BMH and British Leyland. Jaguar made its name by producing a series of successful eye-catching sports cars, the Jaguar XK120 (1948–54), Jaguar XK140 (1954–57), Jaguar XK150 (1957–61), and Jaguar E-Type (1961-75), all embodying Lyons’ mantra of “value for money”. The sports cars were successful in international motorsport, a path followed in the 1950s to prove the engineering integrity of the company’s products. Jaguar’s sales slogan for years was “Grace, Space, Pace”, a mantra epitomised by the record sales achieved by the MK VII, IX, Mks I and II saloons and later the XJ6. During the time this slogan was used, but the exact text varied. The core of Bill Lyons’ success following WWII was the twin-cam straight six engine, conceived prewar and realised while engineers at the Coventry plant were dividing their time between fire-watching and designing the new power plant. It had a hemispherical cross-flow cylinder head with valves inclined from the vertical; originally at 30 degrees (inlet) and 45 degrees (exhaust) and later standardised to 45 degrees for both inlet and exhaust. As fuel octane ratings were relatively low from 1948 onwards, three piston configuration were offered: domed (high octane), flat (medium octane), and dished (low octane). The main designer, William “Bill” Heynes, assisted by Walter “Wally” Hassan, was determined to develop the Twin OHC unit. Bill Lyons agreed over misgivings from Hassan. It was risky to take what had previously been considered a racing or low-volume and cantankerous engine needing constant fettling and apply it to
reasonable volume production saloon cars. The subsequent engine (in various versions) was the mainstay powerplant of Jaguar, used in the XK 120, Mk VII Saloon, Mk I and II Saloons and XK 140 and 150. It was also employed in the E Type, itself a development from the race winning and Le Mans conquering C and D Type Sports Racing cars refined as the short-lived XKSS, a road-legal D-Type. Few engine types have demonstrated such ubiquity and longevity: Jaguar used the Twin OHC XK Engine, as it came to be known, in the Jaguar XJ6 saloon from 1969 through 1992, and employed in a J60 variant as the power plant in such diverse vehicles as the British Army’s Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) family of vehicles, as well as the Fox armoured reconnaissance vehicle, the Ferret Scout Car, and the Stonefield four-wheel-drive allterrain lorry. Properly maintained, the standard production XK Engine would achieve 200,000 miles of useful life. Two of the proudest moments in Jaguar’s long history in motor sport involved winning the Le Mans 24 hours race, firstly in 1951 and again in 1953. Victory at the 1955 Le Mans was overshadowed by it being the occasion of the worst motorsport accident in history. Later in the hands of the Scottish racing team Ecurie Ecosse two more wins were added in 1956 and 1957. In spite of such a performance orientation, it was always Lyons’ intention to build the business by producing world-class sporting saloons in larger numbers than the sports car market could support. Jaguar secured financial stability and a reputation for excellence with a series of elegantly styled luxury saloons that included the 3-litre and 3½ litre cars, the Mark VII, VIII, and IX, the compact
Mark I and 2, and the XJ6 and XJ12. All were deemed very good values, with comfortable rides, good handling, high performance, and great style. Combined with the trendsetting XK 120, XK 140, and XK 150 series of sports car, and nonpareil E-Type, Jaguar’s elan as a prestige motorcar manufacturer had few rivals. The company’s post-War achievements are remarkable, considering both the shortages that drove Britain (the Ministry of Supply still allocated raw materials) and the state of metallurgical development of the era. In 1950, Jaguar agreed to lease from the Ministry of Supply the Daimler Shadow 2 factory in Browns Lane, Allesley, Coventry, which at the time was being used by The Daimler Company Limited and moved to the new site from Foleshill over the next 12 months. Jaguar purchased Daimler – not to be confused with Daimler-Benz or Daimler AG—in 1960 from BSA. From the late 1960s, Jaguar used the Daimler marque as a brand name for their most luxurious saloons. Ownership An end to independence Pressed Steel Company Limited made all Jaguar’s (monocoque) bodies leaving provision and installation of the mechanicals to Jaguar. In mid-1965 British Motor Corporation (BMC), the AustinMorris combine, bought Pressed Steel. Lyons became concerned about the future of Jaguar, partly because of the threat to ongoing supplies of bodies, and partly because of his age and lack of an heir. He therefore accepted BMC’s offer to merge with Jaguar to form British Motor (Holdings) Limited. At a press conference on 11 July 1965 at the Great Eastern Hotel in London, Lyons and BMC chairman Continues on page 8
Public Eye
Friday June 15, 2018
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Friday June 15, 2018
Public Eye
Wheels
Jaguar upgrades F-Pace as 405 kW SVR joins the range…
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aguar has announced a series of updates for its F-Pace, adding fresh technology and more features, while also officially welcoming the flagship SVR derivative to the range. As with the Range Rover Velar with which the F-Pace shares its platform, the Coventrybased brand’s performance SUV will gain the option of adaptive cruise control with steering assist, which operates between zero and 180 km/h, using the existing functionality with lane centring to steer the vehicle within its lane as it maintains a set distance from the vehicle in front. A “stop and go” function will also be added. A new high-speed emergency braking system (operational between 10 and 160 km/h) will likewise become available, while a reversing camera, parking sensors (front and rear), driver condition monitor, emergency braking and
lane keep assist will be offered as standard across the range. Jaguar furthermore says new optional
safety packs will make the buying process “simpler than ever”. Inside, the brand’s Touch
Pro infotainment system with 10-inch touchscreen will be fitted as standard across the line-up,
Jaguar; the most compelling car of all time Continues from page 6 George Harriman announced, “Jaguar Group of companies is to merge with The British Motor Corporation Ltd., as the first step towards the setting up of a joint holding company to be called British Motor (Holdings) Limited”. In due course BMC changed its name to British Motor Holdings at the end of 1966. BMH was pushed by the Government to merge with Leyland Motor Corporation Limited, manufacturer of Leyland bus and truck, Standard-Triumph and, since 1967, Rover vehicles. The result was British Leyland Motor Corporation, a new holding company which appeared in 1968, but the combination was not a success. A combination of poor decision making by the board along with the financial difficulties of, especially, the Austin-Morris division (previously BMC) led to
the Ryder Report and to effective nationalisation in 1975. Temporary return to independence Over the next few years it became clear that because of the low regard for many of the group’s products insufficient capital could be provided to develop and begin manufacture of new models, including Jaguars, particularly if Jaguar were to remain a part of the group. In July 1984, Jaguar was floated off as a separate company on the stock market – one of the Thatcher government’s many privatisations - to create its own track record. Installed as chairman in 1980, Sir John Egan is credited for Jaguar’s unprecedented prosperity immediately after privatisation. In early 1986 Egan reported he had tackled the main problems that were holding Jaguar back from selling more cars: quality control,
lagging delivery schedules, poor productivity. He laid off about one third of the company’s roughly 10,000 employees to cut costs. Commentators later pointed out he exploited an elderly model range (on which all development costs had been written off) and raised prices. He also intensified the effort to improve Jaguar’s quality. In the US the price increases were masked by a favourable exchange rate. Ford Motor Company era Ford made offers to Jaguar’s US and UK shareholders to buy their shares in November 1989; Jaguar’s listing on the London Stock Exchange was removed on 28 February 1990. In 1999 it became part of Ford’s new Premier Automotive Group along with Aston Martin, Volvo Cars and, from 2000, Land Rover. Under Ford’s ownership, Jaguar never made a profit. Under Ford’s ownership
Jaguar expanded its range of products with the launch of the S-Type in 1999 and X-type in 2001. After Land Rover’s May 2000 purchase by Ford, it became closely associated with Jaguar. In many countries they shared a common sales and distribution network (including shared dealerships), and some models shared components, although the only shared production facility was Halewood Body & Assembly, for the X-Type and the Freelander 2. However operationally the two companies were effectively integrated under a common management structure within Ford’s PAG. On 11 June 2007, Ford announced that it planned to sell Jaguar, along with Land Rover and retained the services of Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and HSBC to advise it on the deal. The sale was initially expected to be announced by September
while new slim-line sports seats (featuring 14-way adjustment, adjustable bolsters and slimmer seatbacks) will be optionally available. Select models will furthermore gain a frameless rear-view mirror, illuminated metal tread-plates (featuring the Jaguar script), bright metal pedals, premium mats, suede-cloth headlining, chrome seat switches and carbonfibre door trim. In addition, all petrol derivatives will gain a larger 82-litre fuel tank, up from current 63-litre version, as well as particulate filters. And the F-Pace SVR? Well, this high-performance flagship will officially join the South African range when these updates are applied later on 2018, bringing its supercharged 5,0-litre V8 (producing 405 kW and 680 N.m) to the table, and sprinting from zero to 100 km/h in a claimed 4,3 seconds.
2007, but was delayed until March 2008. Private equity firms such as Alchemy Partners of the UK, TPG Capital, Ripplewood Holdings (which hired former Ford Europe executive Sir Nick Scheele to head its bid), Cerberus Capital Management and One Equity Partners (owned by JP Morgan Chase and managed by former Ford executive Jacques Nasser) of the US, Tata Motors of India and a consortium comprising Mahindra and Mahindra (an automobile manufacturer from India) and Apollo Management all initially expressed interest in purchasing the marques from the Ford Motor Company. Before the sale was announced, Anthony Bamford, chairman of British excavator manufacturer JCB had expressed interest in purchasing the company in August 2006, but backed out upon learning that the sale would also involve Land Rover, which he did not wish to buy. On Christmas Eve of 2007, Mahindra and Mahindra backed out of the race for both brands, citing complexities in the deal.