Author:charleen-clarke
Battery-electrics, big numbers, bonnets, and bling June 7, 2023 There were three overriding themes at this yearโs Brisbane Truck Show. On the one hand, lots of trucks with internal combustion engines, bonnets, and loads of bling were on display. On the other, there were many battery-electric vehicles on the stands โ notably light and medium-duty trucks. In between all this, there was a celebration of significant milestones. CHARLEEN CLARKE attempted to take it all in. Big, beautiful, bonneted trucks were […]
Good news at last! May 26, 2023 I donโt know about the rest of you, but I am so done with bad news. Iโve had enough! But (cue the trumpets) as we were wrapping up this issue of FOCUS I received very good news. Apparently South Africa is well positioned to tap into its potential, and one of our secret weapons is the Ubuntu factor. The news arrived on my desk following a leadership forum for leaders within the financial […]
Take a bow, South Africa! April 28, 2023 The World Bank has released its 2023 Logistics Performance Index reportโฆ and South Africa has done surprisingly well! Not a day goes by that I donโt get a complaint about South Africaโs dismal performance when it comes to logistics. Either trucks are stuck in queues at border posts, or customs is closed due to load shedding, or the trains are kaputโฆ or all three at once. The messy situation is confirmed over […]
Farewell to a bus and coach legend May 2, 2023 Bazil Govender, SABOAโs executive manager, is leaving the association at the end of April. CHARLEEN CLARKE caught up with him one last time prior to his departureโฆ FOCUS was appointed as SABOAโs official magazine just over a year ago. Since then, weโve worked with Bazil on an almost daily basis. His commitment to the bus and coach industry was evident from the start, as were his incredible patience and tenacity […]
Please Madame Ministerโฆ March 29, 2023 Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula is gone. Well, gone from the Department of Transport โ which can only be a good thing. We really hope that his successor will do a much better jobโฆ Poor Sindisiwe Chikunga. Sheโs been handed a hospital pass. I wouldnโt want the job of Minister of Transport for all the tea in China. Can you imagine sitting down and thinking about how to fix Transnet โ if indeed this […]
Kia Niro wins Womenโs World Car of the Year March 10, 2023 Which is the best car in the world โ according to women? Itโs the Kia Niro, which has just been selected as the 2023Womenโs World Car of the Year. The winning car has been announced today โ March 8 โ on International Womenโs Day. The Niro was chosen by the Womenโs World Car of the Year (WWCOTY) jury, which comprises 63 female motoring journalists from 43 countries across […]
Budget speech or cartoon? February 24, 2023 Jonathan Shapiro โ aka Zapiro โ must be one of our countryโs greatest assets. Watching the Budget Speech, I could not help but think of one of his recent cartoonsโฆ Iโm not bashing government in saying that the speech reminded me of a cartoon. Definitely not. I have deep sympathy for our poor Finance Minister, Enoch Godongwana. I really wouldnโt want his job. But, watching the speech, I was reminded of one of […]
Anger meets optimism February 10, 2023 As a new year dawns, I find myself facing the year ahead with a rather odd concoction of emotions: anger and optimism. Letโs kick off with the anger. Like so many South Africans, I feel immense anger at load shedding. But Iโm not even going to go there. Itโs all been said and done. Adding my voice to those of millions of others isnโt going to achieve anything. Maybe I wonโt achieve anything with […]
Ivecoโs sustainability journey unpacked November 30, 2022 Iveco has pledged to offer a full range of sustainable transport solutions for every customer while reaching net zero carbon by 2040. These are lofty goals. And, as CHARLEEN CLARKE discovers during a trip to Turin, the company is adopting a multi-faceted approach to achieve these aspirations. One of the most obvious ways of bolstering sustainability is by launching new โgreenโ products โ and Iveco is doing this by the truckload across the […]
Weโre on the International Pick-up Award jury! November 25, 2022 Weโre ending 2022 on a very high note indeed. We are thrilled to announce that FOCUS will have a seat on the International Pick-up Award jury! This isnโt just a first for FOCUS, itโs a first for South Africa! As regular readers know, FOCUS was appointed to the International Truck of the Year jury and the jury for the Truck Innovation Award a number of years ago. Weโre also on […]
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