Author:charleen-clarke
SaferStops: a driverโs knight in shining armour August 24, 2023 Iโm a huge fan of any initiative to help truck drivers, so the launch of the SaferStops Association has me cheering from the sidelines. I believe that truck drivers have one of the worst jobs on the planet. It is fairly tedious and quite thankless. The hours are long. They spend most of their lives away from their families. In Africa, itโs downright dangerous too. It is thus that the […]
Logistics and Transnet are wrecking our countryโs growth! July 6, 2023 A fascinating (if depressing) report has revealed that logistics and Transnet are among the factors that are wrecking our countryโs growth. Yes, I am well aware that this is hardly breaking news. Our wonderful and incredibly well-informed columnist Nick Porรฉe (who should be our Minister of Transport) writes about this sorry situation in virtually every issue of FOCUS. Indeed, he has even referred to this report in this monthโs […]
Cry our beloved drivers June 26, 2023 I donโt know about the rest of you, but Iโm getting so tired of reading about corruption on our continent. It just never seems to end, and I feel desperately sorry for the drivers who are constantly targeted. Sometimes I think that they have the worst job on the planet. Recently I came across an article about trucking into the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It reminded me โ once again โ why […]
The Role of Women in Motorsport June 22, 2023 ย Womenโs World Car of the Year is celebrating International Women Driversโ Day on June 24th by drawing attention to the role of women in motorsport. According to a recent survey, a total of 17.9% of those interviewed do not know any female drivers and 28.5% approve of separate categories based on gender. Womenโs World Car of the Year is celebrating June 24th, International Women Driversโ Day, by drawing attention to […]
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 […]
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