Wheels 7 April 2016

Page 1

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ASH CAR SALES

April 7, 2016

Dealers in Superfine Exotic and Sports Cars Tel: 033 345 1971, 033 342 4717 Fax: 033 342 2900 - www.ashcarsales.co.za

Witness

WHEELS

104 FM L A T I P CA ays Saturd 9­10 am

2014 Mercedes Benz s350 Bluetec AMG Auto, diesel, 29 000 kms, White/blk leather, Panoroof, 20” mags, 360 degree cameras, navigation, reverse camera, bluetooth, front and rear PDC, full electric memory seats with heating/cooling function, massage seats, smash and grab, keyless start.

R1 099 995 Contact ASH on 083 786 3377 (PMBurg) 550 Church Street, Pietermaritzburg 3201 PO Box 8390, Cumberwood 3235

KZN’S BEST READ ON ALL THINGS WHEELED, EVEN A FLYING SCOOTER

KZN puts squeeze on car licences Taxi owners want service to match the high fees, truck operators take their business away ALWYN VILJJOEN KZN’s licencing fees went up on April Fools day, and while this means owners of an average two­ to three­ton car will pay between R40 and R60 more, truck and taxi operators are really feeling the squeeze. On top of the R120 motor­ vehicle registration fee, the licence fee for a typical family se­ dan of about two tons now costs R972, while a smaller hatch will cost just over R800. While steep enough compared to R828 and R492 for similar cars in Gauteng, these figures are petty cash for truck operators. An eight­ton truck, such as most bakeries use to deliver bread, now costs R12 588, an in­ crease of over R570 on last year and over R3 000 more expen­ sive than licence fees for similar trucks in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and the Free State. This is why national fleet op­ erators whose main depots are in Durban simply use the utility bills from depots in other prov­ inces to register their fleets there, typically saving them­ selves millions in the process. These millions are forever lost to KZN’s coffers, which is why the transport portfolio commit­ tee in the provincial legislature last September considered ways to attract fleet owners back to their home base. Wheels reported in October last year that the head of the KZN transport department, Si­ busiso Gumbi, admitted KZN’s vehicle licencing fees are among the highest in South Africa in five out of eight categories, and that the transport portfolio

committee hoped to decrease fees this year. Instead, in a Gazette Extraor­ dinary published on January 29, the province raised the fees. The result is that only in the Eastern Cape is it more expen­ sive to be a car owner or fleet operator. It now costs over R24 000 to licence a 12­ton truck in KZN, plus R2 127 for each half a ton weight over this. In Gauteng, the same truck will cost the op­ erator over R3 000 less, and the half ton fee is also almost R400 less. KZN’s fleet operators who ex­ pected if not a decrease, at least a freeze on increases, are under­ standably upset. Ebrahim Joosab, director at Colt Transport, a family­owned transport business based in Piet­ ermaritzburg since 1983, says KZN is losing out and he called for a uniform licence fee system for all provinces to prevent this. “In the current economic cli­ mate, the focus on managing costs has become increasingly important and as a result of the continued increase in licence fees in KZN — and with KZN al­ ready being one of the most ex­ pensive provinces in the coun­ try — we have been forced to register some of our vehicles in other parts of the country to keep costs in check and remain competitive in the industry. “KZN is losing out on a reve­ nue stream to other provinces from most transport operators. We have a uniform road act, and should also have a uniform li­ cence fee system across the country,” said Joosab. Anton Jacobs, logistics man­

ager at Willowton Logistics, which transports products from Willowton Oils across South Af­ rica, said the licence fee increases could not have come at a worst time. “Transporters have no choice but to pass these costs on to the client, who pass it on to the con­ sumers. It is a vicious circle that leads to constant increases in the cost of all foods,” said Jacobs. Taxi operators are also feeling the squeeze. Taxi licences cost between R2 000 and R5 000, depending on the size of the minibus. Sifiso Shangase, provincial manager for the KZN branch of the SA National Taxi Council, (Santaco), said profit margins in the taxi industry are already pa­ per thin and the new increase of over R200 in most taxi licence fees will just make business hard­ er. To add insult to injury, taxi operators say they are getting slow to no service from the KZN transport department, despite the province charging a premi­ um price. “Our biggest issue is with the delay in getting operators licen­ ces. There are hundreds of appli­ cations pending, none of which are moving. The taxis of these operators get impounded, and apart from the cost of R200 per day in the pound, the operator then has to pay a few thousand rands in legal fines and fees. We respectfully ask the transport of­ ficials to be efficient and effec­ tive in processing our applica­ tions,” said Shangase. The department of transport did not respond the queries at the time of going to print. • alwyn.viljoen@witness.co.za

Mobile clinic for Vulindlela Two Rotarian clubs in Pietermaritzburg and Rotarians from Scotland raised over R1,2 million towards a mobile clinic, which the clubs donated to the KZN Department of Health for use in Vulindlela. Garden City Commercial vehicles arranged for the long­wheel base, high­roof Sprinter to be kitted out with two consulting rooms, both with beds and cupboards, which the Rotarians will now equip. Pictured are Pietermaritzburg Rotary Club members with (in front, from left) Rotary former district governor Hennie de Bruin, senior health official K.G. Mgadi and Keith Bruce, from Rotary in Kirkcudbright in Scotland. PHOTO: ALWYN VILJOEN

MANAGER’S SPECIAL 2009 Hilux 3,0 D4D 4x2 Leather, nudge bar, tow bar, roll bar, full service history

R239 990 2014 Polo 1,2 TSi Trendline

2012 Yaris Zen T3 Sedan

Full house

2015 Avanza 1,5 SX Fullhouse, balance of factory warranty

A/c, power steering

R169 990 2012 Isuzu D/C 250 D-Teq 4x4

R139 990

R199 900

2010 Golf 1,4 TSi High Line

2014 Etios Sedan 1,5 XS

Full house

Fullhouse, FSH

R239 900

R169 990 R129 990 DEAL OF THE WEEK 2015 Yaris 1,3 XS Fullhouse, 6 500 km

Ford pumps billions into Pretoria FORD investing R2.5­billion at its Silverton Assembly Plant in Pretoria to produce the Everest SUV and Ranger bakkie. This investment will create approximately 1 200 new jobs at Ford South Africa and with­ in the South African supplier network. Jim Farley, Ford exec­ utive vice president and presi­ dent of Europe, Middle East and Africa said the investment

reaffirms the importance of these markets as part of our growth strategy across the Middle East and Africa. “It further reinforces South Africa’s position as a strategic export base for Ford Motor Company.” The Silverton facility joins AutoAlliance Thailand in Ray­ ong; Ford’s Chennai plant in India and the JMC Xiaolan

Plant in Nanchang, China, as production hubs for the Ever­ est. Initial production at Silver­ ton of the Everest will com­ mence in the third quarter of 2016, with the first units ex­ pected to come to market in the fourth quarter. The made­in­SA models will be sold locally and exported to markets across Sub­Saharan Africa. — WR.

Full house

R179 990 McCarthy

TOYOTA

OUR PEOPLE

DELIVER

Brendan Erasmus 060 672 3759

McCarthy Toyota Automark PMB 9 ARMITAGE ROAD. TEL: 033 897 8100

Ernie Biddulph 079 137 9702

Sandile Cele 071 620 1260

Dynan Lutchman 084 915 5109

Sumen Kisten (Sales Manager) 083 368 0679

Carlon 083 286 9496

Thuli 076 153 0824


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