MAPONYA, MOTLANTHE, OPEN SOWETO VOLKSWAGEN

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Dr Richard Maponyais probably one of the busiest people over the age of 85. The man who gave us Maponya Mall has now officially opened Soweto Volkswagen, a R30 milliondealership, in partnership with Barloworld Automotive. This is Maponya’s second dealership in two years, following a competitive Toyota franchise.

Most senior in government was Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe who was at hand to help cut the proverbial opening ribbon. 

“It [the Maponya story] is not merely a rags to riches story,” said Motlanthe, “it is far more than that. It is a symbol of what it meant to be black and to refuse to be defined by arbitrary apartheid laws and the colour of one's skin…Today, through their various projects the Maponya Group is the largestindependent job creator in Soweto, having created thousands of jobs through the Maponya Mall project and many others.”

While this was the official opening, the dealership has actually been in business since December 2011. It sits on an 8 000 square metre motor retail site not far from some serious struggle-era landmarks of Soweto, such as Orlando Stadiumand the Mandela home.

“The opening of Soweto Volkswagen is one of the key milestones in the history of Volkswagen Brand in South Africa that spans over 60 years,” said VW SA MD David Powels. “The process to build a Volkswagen dealership in Soweto began many years ago and was formalised by merging three great brands – Dr Richard Maponya, Volkswagen and Barloworld. Volkswagen is extremely proud to be associated with these brands in the form of Soweto Volkswagen.”

Soweto Volkswagen sells all sorts of VW products, including the best-selling passenger car in Mzansi, the Polo Vivo, as well as Jetta, Amarok, Golf and others. It’s envisaged that over time, the service department will open even on weekends and public holidays in order to help accommodatecustomers who get no time out during the week.