Importation of cars from Durban, South Africa has since resumed following an interruption by floods that stormed the country’s economic city last month.
Local business owners were left stranded with some customers demanding their fair share of deposits as road networks were damaged.
Managing Director of Epikskopos car importers, Oreeditse Kgotla, indicated that it has been two weeks now since resuming operations adding that all clients have received their ordered cars.
“Business has resumed and we are quite relieved because clients were giving us sleepless nights. The delivery has resumed without any challenges and we are back to normal where ordered vehicles take 5-7 days,” he said.
Kgotla stated that even though there are normal hiccups with or without Durban floods all the cars have since arrived.
He brushed off any suggestions that some of the ordered vehicles were affected mechanically as a result of floods adding that all the cars he ordered were recently received from Japan.
“I have not received any complaint from my clients regarding some of the cars that I bought for them recently because I always ensure that I order cars straight from Japan and they do not overstay in Durban,” said Kgotla.
He had initially stated that it was still early to think of alternative routes through which they can transport their ordered cars adding that moving around Durban was a challenge.
For his part, The Managing Director of Cadrilex importers Tirafalo Molelejane said he was fortunate enough during the floods because he was able to order his vehicles from the unaffected garages in Durban and were safely delivered.
“I am not sure how some they were able to deliver my cars but they arrived on time,” he said.
Molelejane highlighted that the most challenging thing as car importers remains the exorbitant charges they are often subjected to when receiving the ordered cars.
“I know that some of the garages in Durban were affected by the floods and this slowed business of some of my rivals,” added Molelejane.
He said even though not all car importers were affected there are indications that floods might storm Durban again in the near future and this will stall their operations.
He added that Durban remains their most reliable and affordable route saying that they cannot use the Namibian route due to associated high costs.
“I do understand that some business operators locally use the Namibian route but it is not cost-effective so if anything happens to Durban in the near future again then we are doomed,” said Molelejane.
He pleaded with government to cut down on charges they are subjected to when receiving ordered vehicles as this compounds on their misery.
Reaobaka Ramagala of Mid Capricorn motor sales indicated that the situation cost him business as some of his clients demanded to be paid back in order to buy readily available vehicles locally.
Big businesses in the province were not spared by the ravages of the floods , and again face operational and supply-chain disruptions less than nine months after last July’s riots took their toll.
