A Family Affair
July 2024
Few brands embody the tagline of being proudly South Africa quite like Volkswagen. Including a recent name change aimed at sharing this sense of accomplishment with the rest of the African continent Volkswagen Group Africa’s Mzansi roots are more than seventy years old, nourished by the hard work and dedication of an inspired workforce.
Established in 1951 to produce the popular Beelte, Khavhadi’s 2008 arrival in then-Uitenhage coincided with the end of production of the hugely successful Citi Golf and the processes of bringing its spiritual successor to market. Like Citi Golf, the Polo Vivo aimed to harness the qualities of an outgoing donor car – in this case, the fourth-generation Polo – into an altogether more affordable offering that allowed VWSA to continue to cater to South Africa’s ever-significant entry-level segment.
Currently, the sole global supplier of the Polo hatch – including the flagship Polo GTI –Kariega is poised via an R4-billion investment to add a third model to an assembly line that currently produces 710 vehicles per day. Together with a steady supply of South Africa’s best-selling passenger car, the current Polo Vivo, this as-yet-unnamed new model shares its platform with the modern Polo and is destined to be marketed below the T-Cross in the brand’s portfolio.
“Fifteen years later, each time I walk through the gates of the Kariega Plant, I’m reminded of the inherent sense of comradery that comes with working at VW,” says Head of Press Shop, Lutendo Khavhadi. A qualified electrical engineer who based on a television commercial for this German car maker purchased a one-way ticket from Thohoyandou to Port Elizabeth, determined to make an impression at his interview, has been part of the family ever since. Currently on assignment at Volkswagen’s Palmela Plant in Portugal, Khavhadi is quick to acknowledge that access to opportunities for growth within the organisation, locally and abroad, is readily available to all employees.
For Khavhadi, one of the most satisfying things about regular interactions with other VW manufacturing plants around the globe is the acknowledgement that Kariega remains one of the most accomplished assembly lines in the business.
On top of lofty production targets, Volkswagen Group Africa has a self-imposed mandate to become a carbon-neutral manufacturer by 2030. The carmaker already draws around 5.5 MW of energy from an extensive, roof-mounted solar PV system and distributes more than 1000 kilolitres of captured rainwater throughout its Kariega plant.
Khavhadi points out that while automation and other future-focused efficiencies within the manufacturing process are necessary for the plant to maintain its world-class standing, the key to achieving both mandated daily outputs and the noteworthy level of associated build quality, is the inherently proud people involved in the process. “Throughout challenges including the 2010 recession and forced shutdowns caused by load-shedding and the Covid-19 pandemic, the wellbeing of the Kariega workforce and their families has been at the forefront of Volkswagen’s response. This is how you build loyalty, pride and a sense of community.”
Makers of “the people’s car,” Volkswagen Group Africa’s local footprint is impossible to miss. Established in 1989, what began as an initiative to provide bursaries and local housing to neighbouring communities, the company’s Community Trust now offers youth development programmes to encourage work preparedness, supports NGOs in the Nelson Mandela Bay region and is building new schools in Kariega. While the People’s Pavilion offers employees free access to sporting and relaxation facilities, the brand has also built an early childhood development centre in Kariega and a youth centre in the nearby Kwanobuhle community. Via the Community Trust, each Volkswagen Group Africa employee is committed to donating one hour of their annual salary to this facility.
“We also have a heart-warming staff volunteer programme,” explains Vernon Naidoo, Corporate Social Investment Manager at VWGA. “Hosted in Kariega and Gauteng, Volkswagen employees regularly assist in the planting of trees and other general repair work at schools and arrange local clean-up activations. Where possible, they also lend professional skills, including medical and bookkeeping services, to those in need.”