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Another step has been taken to turn Soweto into a vibrant city within a city. The first phase of a large motor dealership has opened.
SOWETANS are now able to shop for up-to-the-minute Volkswagen and Toyota sedans and other models of those makes at their doorstep as Maponya Motor City on Klipspruit Valley Road in Orlando East has it all.
 Richard Maponya: Turning Soweto into a city within a cityThe recently opened vehicle dealership is a multipronged investment between Barloworld Motor Retail and the Maponya Group. The Volkwagen and Toyota dealerships each have the capacity to sell more than 30 new vehicles and 25 used vehicles each month. The total investment is over R120-million.
Both the Toyota and Volkswagen showrooms have the best and most recent sedans available on the market, including last year’s two top-selling passenger vehicles, the Polo Vivo and the new Polo.
It is the first phase of a multi-brand car sales facility, which spans some 8 000m2. When complete, Maponya Motor City will comprise filling stations and car fitment centres, creating over 500 jobs. The entire development is expected to cost over R600-million.
It is part of entrepreneur Richard Maponya’s utopia of Soweto – a city within a city with a vibrant entrepreneurial and business sector and robust economic activity and growth.
Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe says the development is “another milestone for Soweto by the Maponya Group as they continue to build sustainable world-class businesses in Soweto”. The dealerships are part of Maponya’s long-held dream, he adds.
Job creation
Through its various business ventures, the Maponya Group is one of the largest independent job creators in Soweto. Its main activities include property development, horse racing and breeding, retail, automotive sales, filling stations and liquor.
Chichi Maponya, daughter of Richard and director of the Maponya Group, says locals have received the showroom “very well” and business is growing gradually. The investment adds further value to the already emerging area. “This opportunity meant we were able to create jobs for the community. The people of Soweto can now purchase vehicles and get quality after-sales service right at their doorstep,” she says.
It was built in line with Barloworld Motor Retailer’s industry-leading green dealerships, incorporating energy and water efficient technologies to reduce environmental impact. They also use waterless car washing facilities.
“Not only has this development impacted the community directly through job creation, but other businesses in the area will also benefit through customer referrals and by becoming suppliers, which will benefit the community at large,” says Maponya.
Martin Laubscher, the chief executive of Barloworld Automotive and Logistics, says his company is committed to providing Soweto customers with a “superb ownership experience”.
Maponya Motor City is the first such business in the southern circumference of Johannesburg. Plans include opening the facility on weekends and public holidays so customers can have their vehicles serviced when they are not at work.
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