Proton says it is not quitting SA
However, Proton's sales have failed to make a dent against a proliferation of more price competitive Chinese and Indian brands. Proton sold only 66 cars last month compared to GWM (1,943), Chery (1,852) and Mahindra (1,278).
Last week BusinessLIVE reported McIntosh said the partnership with Proton had been 'challenging' and the parties were reassessing their options.
'The Proton import and distribution operation has continued to be challenging and costly. Current inventory will be sold during the first half of the coming year, and thereafter the group and the Malaysian manufacturer will decide on the way forward,' McIntosh said in his letter to shareholders published in the group's annual report.
CMH, which has 43 retail motor dealerships representing 29 brands sold through operations in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape, said imports, particularly from China and India, had made the market very challenging to compete in.
Ranjeeth this week said Proton has no plans to leave and is reaffirming its long-term commitment to the local market.
'Proton is strengthening its home market presence by preparing to launch new-generation vehicles, including compact sedans, hatchbacks and competitive B-segment SUVs with internal combustion and hybrid powertrains,' Ranjeeth said.
Every Proton X-Series model in SA is backed by a five-year unlimited kilometre warranty, with 24/7 nationwide roadside assistance throughout the full warranty period, she said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald
6 hours ago
- The Herald
Several successful projects unveiled by MDBA
Since it was established in 2003, the MBDA flourished and it did so due to an enabling and stable political environment, an era predating coalition government. It is important to remember that the MBDA is intrinsically linked to its shareholder through several accountability measures, and all of these are founded on two key pieces of legislation, the Municipal Finance Management Act No 56 of 2003, the Municipal Systems Act and various regulations that set the tone for accountability. The legislation gives council the authority to appoint the accountability structures, the board of directors, the members representative committee and equally important, the independent audit committees, and council has the sole means to hold them to account. The establishment of audit committees in municipalities and municipal entities is a critical requirement under the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) to ensure sound financial governance. As part of their responsibility for financial administration, accounting officers (CEOs) must take all reasonable steps to establish and maintain effective, efficient and transparent systems of financial and risk management, internal control and internal audits that adhere to prescribed norms and standards (sections 62 and 95 of the MFMA). Furthermore, Section 166 (1) of the MFMA mandates that every municipality and municipal entity must have an audit committee, which plays a crucial oversight role. It is evident that these structures and accountability measures are at the disposal of the parent municipality to exercise control over the entity. In addition, the Acts also encourage meaningful public participation and stakeholder engagement in the activities of local government, and that is why platforms such as this are necessary, to keep the citizens and ratepayers informed and involved. When I joined the MBDA in June 2023, the entity's plans for the 2023/2024 financial year were already set and in motion. I accepted that I would work with what I inherited while rebuilding and refocusing the entity for the following year, 2024/2025, the financial year we are currently in. Our goals for 2024/2025 are lofty, and that is to achieve record institutional performance in terms of budget expenditure and service delivery focused key performance indicators ( KPIs). We adopted the 95% budget expenditure performance framework as it applies in our sector, and I am happy to report that we are firmly on track. However, there are only two impediments that are now beyond our control, they are the termination of the construction contract related to Moore Dyke due to disputes with the contractor, and the capital funds earmarked for multipurpose centres that are wholly inadequate and cannot be spent fruitlessly. As evidenced this week, on Tuesday we held the official handover of the Helenvale Extension 12 community park developed at a cost of nearly R4m from a co-funding agreement between the municipality and the German Development Bank, KFW. The park is set up to promote safety and peace and planted with indigenous fauna that is self-sustainable. The work included the construction of a seated pavilion area, paved pathways, a five-a-side and netball court, children's play area and outdoor gym facility. This milestone was achieved due to improved focus on project delivery and accountability we introduced, known as the 'war-room' with one main objective, to unblock and troubleshoot project management. On June 11, we will unveil yet another key community development project that has reached completion and is ready for use. The New Brighton community waste drop-off site came from pleadings by the community through the ward councillor and was facilitated with the assistance of the public health directorate. The project is a solution to rampant illegal dumping in the area which creates health hazards. We also recognised this as an opportunity to turn waste into economic potential, so we trained community co-operatives that will be managing the site in partnership with the municipality. Built at a capital cost of R5.5m, the project created much-needed work opportunities in that community and will provide a lasting solution to illegal dumping. On the tourism asset development front, the St Peters Rainbow Village will finally open to receive local, national and international visitors. By securing the property, the MBDA could protect the heritage of the area and restore some dignity for those who called South End home for decades. The remains of the church represent one of the last remaining structures from the 1960s forced removals. Going beyond the restoration of the old church, we have created a unique and must-see tourism offering that will appeal to all markets. The rehabilitated St Peters Rainbow Village now offers a space for outdoor events, educational and community activities, a small amphitheatre, and the opportunity for guided tours celebrating South End's rich history and culture. Also, in June, as part of initiatives to commemorate 22 years of urban redevelopment, we intend to honour a former leader and founding member of the first democratic local government of the Bay. An individual that played a leading role in shaping the vision that enabled the existence of the MBDA, someone who represents a cohort of collective leadership that provided a conducive environment for the MBDA to flourish. The phrase 'Without vision, the people perish' is from Proverbs 29:18 in the Bible. It means that without a clear goal or direction, people become unrestrained, cannot focus and cannot reach their goals. The phrase emphasises the importance of having a clear vision or goal, and currently it is difficult to identify what the current vision is for the Bay. The Herald
The South African
7 hours ago
- The South African
Donald Trump-Elon Musk blow-up: How it unfolded
A timeline in quotes of the public meltdown of Donald Trump and Elon Musk's relationship over several astonishing hours on Thursday. 'Look, Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will anymore. I was surprised,' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. The US president was responding to comments made by Musk two days earlier in which Musk had called his 'big, beautiful bill' on tax and spending a 'disgusting abomination'. Responding on X to Donald Trump's comments on Thursday, Musk fired back at 12:19 local time: 'ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill… Either you get a big and ugly bill or a slim and beautiful bill. Slim and beautiful is the way.' In the Oval Office, Trump continued: 'I'm very disappointed, because Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here… All of a sudden, he had a problem.' To this, South Africa-born Musk responded: 'False, this bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!' (12:25) And then in a fresh post 21 minutes later: 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate.' 'Such ingratitude.' Just over an hour later, at 13:57, Musk carried on, with a post that he pinned to the top of his timeline: 'Is it time to create a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle?' Donald Trump fired back on Truth Social under an hour later, as the spat got increasingly bitter. 'The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it!' (14:37) US media have put the value of the contracts at $18 billion. At 15:10 Musk referred to US government documents on disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, who committed suicide in jail while awaiting trial for sex crimes. 'Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!' 'I don't mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago. This is one of the Greatest Bills ever presented to Congress.' (Trump, 16:06). 'In light of the President's statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately' (Musk, 16:09). SpaceX's Crew Dragon is currently the only US spacecraft certified to carry crew to the International Space Station under a contract worth more than $4.9 billion. Later in the day, Musk appeared to walk back his earlier comment on this subject, replying to a user on X: 'OK, we won't decommission Dragon,' though his tone was unclear. 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
The Herald
12 hours ago
- The Herald
Scammer dupes college managers and students with fake internship jobs
The students said that when they arrived at the mine they were shocked to learn that they had wasted their money and time on a scam. 'We called 'Mike' and he gave us another contact number [which appears] on the mine's website,' she said. 'Mike' told us that we needed to meet him at Moruleng Mall, where we'd do a medical examination to get a medical certificate. 'He told us that we need to transfer R550 each to a TymeBank account. That's when we realised that this was a scam because we do not know of a big company that uses that bank.' The student then called the college, which tried unsuccessfully to contact 'Mofokeng'. The distressed students camped at the mall for hours while the college arranged transport to take them back to Gauteng. While at the mall, the students said they met students from four other institutions in Gauteng who had been scammed by the same man. On Tuesday, some of the students were seen leaving the college carrying their clothes and bedding in bags. An electrical engineering student said: 'I am from Mpumalanga and have nowhere to go because I did not pay rent for June as I was going to be in another province where the accommodation would have been covered by the mine.' Jan Greyling, the spokesperson for the P&T Training Educational Institution, said they were approached by what appeared to be a genuine agency which had promised to place students at the mine. ' The agency presented documentation aligned with legitimate requirements. As part of the placement process, P&T Training incurred costs associated with the required medical clearances for the learners, ensuring they were fully prepared for their work-based learning experience,' he said. Greyling said arrangements were made for the students to report to the mine as stipulated in the placement agreement with the agency on the college's behalf. He said the matter has been referred to their legal team for investigation. Siyanda Bakgatla Platinum Mine spokesperson Hope Tyira confirmed that 'Mofokeng' tried to solicit payments for medical examinations and certificates using a fake recruitment process. Tyira said the mine was investigating the matter with their shareholders. 'On becoming aware of the incident, we acted swiftly and in co-ordination with relevant partners to safeguard the wellbeing of the students and we are conducting a comprehensive investigation into the matter,' he said. SowetanLIVE
