Suzuki SA breaks ground on new headquarters
The new facility will include 2,900m² of office space and 19,100m² of warehousing, along with advanced training facilities, boardrooms, a workshop and a 100-seater canteen. The warehouse will feature a clearance height of 15m for optimal vertical storage, and large yards and easy vehicle access to support efficient logistics operations.
Suzuki has been the brand to watch over the past few years. Local sales have been rising steadily, with the brand netting 5,977 unit sales in April 2025, claiming the No 2 best-seller spot below Toyota's 10,363 sales. The best-selling Suzuki model during the period was the Swift with 2,053 units, making it SA's best selling passenger car in the same period.
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The South African
37 minutes ago
- The South African
Here's how Elon Musk got his BLACK EYE
Billionaire Elon Musk bade farewell to Donald Trump in an extraordinary Oval Office appearance on Friday, sporting a black eye, brushing aside drug abuse claims and vowing to stay a 'friend and advisor' to the US president. As the world's richest person bowed out of his role as Trump's cost-cutter-in-chief, the Republican hailed Musk's 'incredible service' and handed him a golden key to the White House. But Trump insisted that Musk was 'really not leaving' after a turbulent four months in which his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cut tens of thousands of jobs, shuttered whole agencies and slashed foreign aid. 'He's going to be back and forth,' said Trump, showering praise on the tech tycoon for what he called the 'most sweeping and consequential government reform programme in generations.' South Africa-born Musk, wearing a black T-shirt with the word 'Dogefather' in white lettering and a black DOGE baseball cap, said many of the $1 trillion savings he promised would take time to bear fruit. 'I look forward to continuing to be a friend and advisor to the president,' he said. But many people were more interested in the black bruise around Musk's right eye. Speculation about the cause was further fueled by accusations in the New York Times on Friday that Musk used so much of the drug ketamine on the 2024 campaign trail that he developed bladder problems. The SpaceX and Tesla magnate said that his son was to blame for the injury. 'I was just horsing around with lil' X, and I said, 'go ahead punch me in the face,'' 53-year-old Musk said. 'And he did. Turns out even a five-year-old punching you in the face actually is…' he added, before tailing off. Musk, however, dodged a question about the drug allegations. The New York Times said Musk, the biggest donor to Trump's 2024 election campaign, also took ecstasy and psychoactive mushrooms and traveled with a pill box last year. Musk, who has long railed against the news media and championed his X social media platform as an alternative, took aim at the paper instead. 'Is that the same publication that got a Pulitzer Prize for false reporting on the Russiagate?' said Musk, referring to claims that Trump's 2016 election campaign colluded with Moscow. 'Let's move on. Okay. Next question.' Later in the day, when a reporter asked Trump if he was 'aware of Elon Musk's regular drug use,' Trump simply responded: 'I wasn't.' 'I think Elon is a fantastic guy,' he added. The White House had earlier played down the report. 'The drugs that we're concerned about are the drugs running across the southern border' from Mexico, said Trump's Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, whose wife works for Musk. Musk has previously admitted to taking ketamine, saying he was prescribed it to treat a 'negative frame of mind' and suggesting his use of drugs benefited his work. The latest in a series of made-for-TV Oval Office events was aimed at putting a positive spin on Musk's departure. Musk is leaving Trump's administration under a cloud, after admitting disillusionment with his role and criticising the Republican president's spending plans. It was a far cry from his first few weeks as Trump's chainsaw-brandishing sidekick. At one time Musk was almost inseparable from Trump, glued to his side on Air Force One, Marine One, in the White House and at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. The right-wing magnate's DOGE led an ideologically-driven rampage through the federal government, with its young 'tech bros' slashing tens of thousands of jobs. But DOGE's achievements fell far short of Musk's original goal of saving $2 trillion dollars. The White House says DOGE has made $170 billion in savings so far. The independent 'Doge Tracker' site has counted just $12 billion while the Atlantic magazine put it far lower, at $2 billion. Musk's 'move fast and break things' mantra was also at odds with some of his cabinet colleagues, and he said earlier this week that he was 'disappointed' in Trump's planned mega tax and spending bill as it undermined DOGE's cuts. Musk's companies, meanwhile, have suffered. Tesla shareholders called for him to return to work as sales slumped and protests targeted the electric vehicle maker, while SpaceX had a series of fiery rocket failures. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news. By Garrin Lambley © Agence France-Presse
Mail & Guardian
8 hours ago
- Mail & Guardian
The GAC GS3 Emzoom is a refreshing and a different offering in a flooded SUV market
Sporty and stylish: The GAC Emzoom is a refreshing addition to the compact SUV market. It might come to the point where we lose track of how many Chinese brands there are in South Africa. We might even begin to lose track of how many compact SUVs are in the market because it has become congested with them. Chinese brand GAC Motor entered two SUV models into the South African market in the middle of 2024: the Emzoom and the Emkoo. In typical fashion, both cars looked good and came with all the fancy technology that we have become accustomed to getting in Chinese cars. The Mail & Guardian got behind the wheel of the Emzoom, which is available in three variants: Comfort, Executive and R-Style. We were lucky enough to get the top-of-the-range R-Style model and I was pleasantly surprised. I knew that the exterior and interior were going to be appealing, because Chinese manufacturers always put a lot of emphasis on bringing out a neat product. However, I did find some styling similarities with BMWs. For starters, on the R-Line trim, the black grille gets three gold panels, much like some BMWs, which have M-specific colours on their grilles. The colour coding on the inside also provided some similarities. The same blue plastics you see around the aircon vents in BMWs are present in the Emzoom R-Style. This is probably because Thomas Schemera, who has held key roles at both BMW M and Hyundai, is now the chief operating officer and senior vice president of GAC International. Alongside the ambient lighting inside the Emzoom, the air conditioning and volume dials also get a rainbow light around them. These style features give the car a fun and sporty atmosphere. Manufacturers sometimes try too hard to make compact SUVs feel luxurious with fancy screens, decked out interiors and the absence of buttons. While the Emzoom still has the fancy screens and is decked out, it doesn't aim for a luxurious interior, but rather something that boosts adrenaline. The Emzoom comes with the standard 1.5 litre turbocharged petrol engine that we are accustomed to getting in Chinese compact SUVs. Paired with a dual-clutch transmission gearbox, it will deliver 130kW of power and 270Nm of torque. The coolest feature of the car is the exhaust system which is designed to produce sound through 'active exhaust valves'. These can be toggled between open and closed, allowing for a louder and more sporty sound when open, especially in the sport mode. It adds to the fun feel the Emzoom was meant to have. You could actually fool people into thinking you were driving a sports car. But this feature also has a downside. I became obsessed with the exhaust sound, continually putting the car into sport mode. This exposed the sensitivity of the accelerator, making the car move too quickly. This is not ideal when navigating into tight parking spots or even pulling into your garage. Besides that, the Emzoom provides excellent handling and effortlessly picks up speed when you need it to. I experienced some turbo-lag, but it was not bad at all. It didn't make the vehicle feel unresponsive. The other downside is the fuel consumption. This is a pretty compact vehicle and, while GAC claims a consumption figure of 6.2 litres/100km, I averaged 8.1 litres/100km. Overall, I really enjoyed the GAC GS3 Emzoom. It felt different and refreshing. I loved the fact that GAC went all out in making it a fun and sporty experience without producing a performance monster. You get everything you need — and the lovely exhaust sound as a bonus but, in a flooded SUV market, it is difficult to say whether the Emzoom will make a splash. Pricing GS3 EMZOOM 1.5L T Comfort — from: R419 900 GS3 EMZOOM 1.5L T Executive — from: R439 900 GS3 EMZOOM 1.5L T R-Style — from: R489 900
Mail & Guardian
10 hours ago
- Mail & Guardian
New law: Protecting South Africans from tobacco is no foreign agenda
Vaping among young people has reached an all-time high, The passage of the Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill is a decisive moment for public health in South Africa. Yet, as we edge closer to enacting life-saving legislation, a familiar narrative has emerged, one that is designed to sow confusion and delay progress. Accusations suggesting that the drafting of this legislation is influenced by foreign NGOs are not only baseless but strategically designed to detract from the real issue at hand: protecting our people, especially youth, from the harmful effects of tobacco. South Africa ratified the World Health Organisation's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2005. The treaty obliges its signatories to adopt stringent public health measures and safeguard them from interference by the tobacco industry. These obligations include consulting technical experts, researchers and civil society organisations to develop sound, evidence-based policies. This is not foreign meddling; it is the global standard for formulating robust tobacco control legislation. The department of health led the drafting of the Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill, working through established channels. Stakeholders across sectors as well as the broader public have weighed in, and parliament will review every aspect of the bill before its passage. The narrative that South Africa is ceding its policymaking to external agendas is nothing more than an industry-led distraction. It is designed to confuse, politicise and derail a procedurally sound process that aligns with our constitutional and international commitments. For decades, the tobacco industry has relied on diversion tactics, questioning the integrity of organisations and individuals who are advocating for public health reforms. South Africa is merely the latest chapter in this global playbook. But make no mistake, this bill is neither a foreign imposition nor the product of external pressure. It is the culmination of years of evidence-based recommendations and domestic public input, aligned with South Africa's sovereign obligations under the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The tobacco industry thrives not only on selling products that harm health but also on derailing policies that could save lives. Around the world, the industry has wielded its significant resources to manufacture doubt, discredit public health advocates and shift attention away from the substance of legislation — all to pave the way to profit from deadly tobacco and nicotine products, which include cigarettes, heated tobacco products and electronic cigarettes. Whether in Pakistan, the Philippines or South Africa, the playbook remains the same: scatter unfounded accusations of foreign interference, ignite nationalist sentiments and bury meaningful discourse on protecting lives beneath conspiracy theories. The industry will use any tactic, including mischaracterising the policy process, to try to stop legislation that has an impact on its business. South Africa is witnessing this tactic up close. Shifting the conversation away from the bill's purpose, the industry claims that the government's policymaking is compromised by external influence, even threatening litigation to challenge the legislation. Specifically, it is targeting the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids which, together with other experts, provided technical guidance during discussions on the bill. But this is what's not being said. The campaign consultant involved is a South African citizen, a former director in the department of health, and someone with decades of experience in public health at both national and global levels. She is not a 'foreign operative' but a lifelong servant to the health of this country. The real purpose of the Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill is to curb the harm caused by tobacco and nicotine products, particularly among the youth. Young people in South Africa are under siege; they're targeted by an industry that relies on addiction to sustain its multibillion-dollar business model. Emerging nicotine products like e-cigarettes and heated tobacco are marketed with flavours, slick designs and celebrity endorsements that glamourise use while increasing dependence. According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey of 2021, 29.4% of adults in South Africa use tobacco products, smoked and non-smoked. A new national survey conducted for the African Centre for Tobacco Industry Monitoring and Policy Research, based at the University of Pretoria, shows that this had increased significantly, to 36.8% in 2024. Tobacco smoking, specifically, has hit a high of 33.9% or 14.9 million, a prevalence level last seen in 1993. Use of novel tobacco products like e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products and oral nicotine pouches among young people aged 16 to 34 has risen to 13.5% or 2.6 million young people. This burden translates to thousands of preventable deaths and a strained healthcare system. The new bill takes critical steps forward by proposing a comprehensive ban on smoking in public spaces, mandating standardised packaging, curbing advertising and prohibiting sales to children, as well as regulating unregulated novel products that didn't exist when the legislation was passed. Ironically, while lobbyists accuse public health advocates of being controlled by foreign entities, the tobacco industry itself is dominated by multinational corporations like British American Tobacco, Philip Morris International and Japan Tobacco. These profit-driven conglomerates, which operate in South Africa, are the real foreign entities that are prioritising shareholder returns over the health of the general population. Their financial interests lie in keeping South Africa addicted, not free from tobacco harm. Time is critical when it comes to public health policymaking. Any delay in passing the bill equates to more lives being lost and more young South Africans becoming hooked on harmful products. By politicising public health discussions, the tobacco industry and its allies aim to manipulate timelines and erode momentum. Since the first publication of the bill in 2018 up to 2024, the total number of smokers has increased from 9.5 million to 14.9 million and vaping among young people has reached an all-time high. At its core, this issue is simple — as South Africans, do we want to prioritise the profits of multinational tobacco companies or the health of our people? The delay tactics and conspiracy theories detract from the real questions we must ask our policymakers and ourselves as a nation. How do we safeguard future generations from the harm caused by tobacco? How do we align our policies with science and evidence? How do we ensure that multinational corporations cannot exploit our youth for profit? The bill before parliament reflects a long-standing public health mandate, shaped by years of domestic input and aligned with our international obligations. Smoking-related illnesses claim about 40 000 South African lives annually. This bill offers a way forward and is a chance to break cycles of addiction, disease and suffering. The time for decisive action has arrived. It is incumbent upon all of us to reject tactics that perpetuate harm and support measures that secure the well-being of our nation. The science is settled. The need is urgent. The delay is political. Choosing health is not only the right thing to do; it is the only thing to do. Professor Lekan Ayo-Yusuf is the head of the School of Health Systems and Public Health at the University of Pretoria, director of the National Council Against Smoking and director of the Africa Centre for Tobacco Industry Monitoring and Policy Research.
