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Hot Competition for 2023 Manufacturer Of The Year Awards – MOTY 2023

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MOTY AWARDS 2023
Manufacturer of the Year Award

MOTY Awards 2023

MOTY 2023 Award Winners     |     MOTY 2023 Event Photos

JOHANNESBURG, 19 OCTOBER 2023 – South Africa’s top vehicle manufacturers, as rated by the country’s vehicle rental and leasing companies, were honoured at this year’s SAVRALA Manufacturer of the Year (MOTY) awards, which were announced at a gala ceremony in Johannesburg today.

The 28th edition of the MOTY awards, organised by the Southern African Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (SAVRALA), honours motor manufacturers for their outstanding service and support to members. These members collectively oversee approximately 400,000 vehicles annually through rental and leasing channels.

These awards are determined through two thorough surveys conducted with 37 car rental and leasing companies in South Africa. These surveys gauge their interactions with manufacturers they frequently deal with and whose vehicles are part of their fleets. The surveys encompass several key aspects of their operations, including communication and contact with manufacturers, support services, maintenance concerns, financial matters, and B-BBEE compliance.

The participating rental and leasing companies are required to involve all the relevant people who are knowledgeable about each criterion within their organisations to complete the various sections of the surveys. This is to ensure that the results are not biased and can be used by the manufacturers to identify and rectify any pain points in their customer journey with the rental and leasing industries.

SAVRALA’s GM, Sandile Ntseoane, emphasised the role of a key partner of the MOTY awards. “To recognise and acknowledge service excellence, SAVRALA continues to rely on its respected, most trusted, and independent partner, Lightstone. Their expertise in providing information, valuations, and solutions that enable better business decisions is instrumental in helping SAVRALA coordinate and administer the survey.”

Awards are made in the Rental category, Leasing category as well as combined Rental and Leasing performance.

In the Rental category, Toyota moved into the top position for the first time in four years, leading second place Kia and last year’s winner, Isuzu, now in third. The Leasing positions remained the same for the third consecutive year, with Isuzu taking top honours, followed by Volkswagen in second place and Toyota taking third place.

Considering all the challenges currently facing the automotive industry, these achievements are commendable. Manufacturers had to walk a tightrope to remain operational in the prevailing tough economic conditions, locally and globally. Yet despite these challenges, the industry showed resilience in achieving the best Rental and Leasing industry scores achieved to date.

Rental Results for 2023

Toyota, the winner of the Rental category in 2018 and 2019, reclaimed the top spot in the Rental category in 2023 after securing second and third places in the years following their last victory in 2019.

Kia was awarded second place in the Rental category in 2023, which is only their second appearance among the top three Rental manufacturers. Kia shared second place with Renault in 2019, but this year they have returned to their second position.

The exceptional performances from Toyota and Kia moved the Rental winner of the last three years, Isuzu, into third position for 2023.

The Value award goes to the automotive member who has accumulated the highest total points in both the Financial and Rental sections. For the sixth consecutive year, Toyota has emerged as the winner.

The Tutuka award is given to the automotive member who scores the highest and supplies lower and niche vehicle volumes to the car rental industry. Mini has dominated this award by winning it for the fifth year in a row.

Leasing Results for 2023

Isuzu continued their winning ways in the Leasing section and were awarded Gold in the Leasing category for the fourth consecutive year. Volkswagen held steady for their second position and Toyota took third, the same top three positions for Leasing for the last three years.

The Value award for the Manufacturer scoring the best for the Financial section on the Leasing survey was awarded to Isuzu, winning this award for the second time in the last three years.

Overall Results for 2023

The Rental and Leasing scores for qualifying manufacturers are combined to adjudicate an overall winner. This year’s Overall winner is Isuzu for the fourth consecutive year, with Toyota taking second position and Volkswagen completing the top three leader board positions.

Best Representative Awards for 2023

The rental and leasing companies nominate individuals for the best representative awards based on their performance and support during the year. Geraldine Pillay from Isuzu and Jeanette Bossert from Nissan were voted the best Account Representatives in the Leasing section. The award for the best Account Representative in the Rental section was presented to Lebo Lekalakala, representing Toyota.

The winner of the best Technical Representative award in the Rental section is Lufuno Nephawe from Toyota, with Lebo Mabowa from Volkswagen voted the best Technical Representative in the Leasing section.

Congratulations to all the award winners! We believe that your commitment to excellence will inspire others in the industry and help raise the standards even higher.

About SAVRALA

SAVRALA is the trade body for companies engaged in the leasing and rental of passenger cars and commercial vehicles. Founded in the 1970s, SAVRALA represents South Africa’s combined vehicle rental, leasing and fleet management industries. SAVRALA is the representative voice of Southern Africa’s vehicle rental, leasing and fleet management industries. It has a combined membership base of over 38 of South Africa’s top rental and leasing companies representing approximately 600 000 vehicles.

For more information about SAVRALA, please visit savrala.co.za or contact Claire Lathe at claire@bigambition.co.za

MOTY 2022 – Isuzu voted Best Manufacturer for third consecutive year

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MOTY AWARDS 2022
Manufacturer of the Year Award


Photo Gallery: Winners
Photo Gallery: Awards Event

JOHANNESBURG, OCTOBER 20, 2022 – Isuzu has walked away with top honours in the Manufacturer Of The Year (MOTY) awards, run annually by the Southern African Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (SAVRALA).

Now in its 27th year, the MOTY awards pays tribute to the vehicle manufacturers for the level of service and support provided to SAVRALA members, who manage roughly 400 000 vehicles per year through the rental and leasing channels.

These awards are based on two comprehensive surveys completed by 38 car rental and leasing companies in South Africa, measuring the service from the manufacturers they interact with regularly and whose vehicles they have in their fleets.

Among the various areas of business surveyed are communication and contact with the manufacturers, support provided, maintenance issues, financial aspects and B-BBEE compliance.

The participating Rental and Leasing companies are required to involve all the relevant people who are knowledgeable about each criterion within their organisations, to complete the various sections of the surveys. This is to ensure that the results are not biased and can be used by the manufacturers to identify and rectify any pain points in their customer journey with the rental and leasing industries.

A Snapshot of the Results

In 2022, Isuzu was voted as the winner in both the Rental and Leasing categories for the third consecutive year. In the Rental category, Toyota improved their third position from 2021 and moved into the second position this year. For the first time ever, Mini moved into a podium position, by being awarded the bronze award in the Rental Category.

The Leasing positions remained the same as last year, with Isuzu taking top honours, followed by Volkswagen in second place and Toyota close on their heels taking third place.

Considering all the challenges currently facing the automotive industry, this is no small feat. Manufacturers had to walk a tightrope to remain operational amidst the aftermath and recovery of the Covid-19 pandemic, Ukraine war, the global chip shortages leading to a shortage of new vehicles, the global energy crisis and the KZN flooding earlier this year, to name but a few.

Rental Results for 2022

Isuzu continued their winning spree, attaining the highest score on the measured criteria and helped along by a level one B-BBEE level of contribution, the only manufacturer achieving level one. Toyota moved into second position, as they did in 2020, in the process moving Volkswagen out of the top three positions. Historically, premium brands have not often won top awards in the MOTY competition, but this year Mini proved that this is indeed possible, by moving into third position for the first time ever.

The Value award is presented to the automotive member that has scored the most combined points for the Financial section, and for the fifth year running, the winner is Toyota.

The Tutuka award recognises the best scoring automotive member which supplies lower and niche vehicle volumes to the car rental industry, and Mini took top honours in this category for the fourth consecutive year.

Leasing Results for 2022

Isuzu carried their momentum to the Leasing section and were also awarded Gold in the Leasing category, as they did for the last two years. Volkswagen held steady for their second position and Toyota took third, the same top three positions for Leasing as in 2021.

The Value award for the Manufacturer scoring the best for the Financial section on the Leasing survey was awarded to Toyota, which has now won this award four times in the last five years.

Overall results for 2022

To adjudicate an overall winner, the Rental and Leasing scores for qualifying manufacturers are combined. This year’s Overall winner is Isuzu for the third consecutive year, with Toyota improving from their third position last year to now be second and Volkswagen completing the top-three leader board positions.

Best Representative Awards for 2022

The rental and leasing companies nominate individuals for the best representative awards based on their performance and support during the year. Geraldine Pillay from Isuzu was voted the best Account Representative in the Leasing section. The award for the best Account Representative in the Rental section is shared between Queen Ramaliwa from BMW and Lebo Lekalakala, representing Toyota.

A special shout out has to go to Ramatjitla Penyane from Toyota, for being voted the best Technical Representative in both the Leasing and Rental categories for the last five years. He has definitely made this award his own and his legacy lives on.

Often retaining the title of being recognised as the best in your industry is harder than the effort required in reaching the top. We congratulate this years’ winners and look forward to seeing what the competitors can bring to the table in 2023.

About SAVRALA

SAVRALA is the representative voice of Southern Africa’s vehicle rental, leasing and fleet management sector. Its members have a combined national footprint with over 600 branches countrywide. Its Associate members comprise most motor manufacturers and importers and allied industry sales and service companies. SAVRALA members provide short-term self-drive rental, medium and long-term rentals and/or leasing and fleet management services to corporate users and consumers. The sector employs an estimated 12,000 people and, as a direct multiplier effect, several thousand more jobs are sustained across the South African automotive industry.

For more information about SAVRALA, please visit https://www.savrala.co.za/ or contact Claire Lathe at claire@bigambition.co.za

MOTY 2021

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Congratulations to Isuzu who has come up tops as the winner of the Southern African Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (SAVRALA) Annual Industry Manufacturer of The Year (MOTY) Awards 2021.

Announced on 21 October at a cocktail event in Johannesburg, the MOTY 2021 winners included Isuzu as the winner in both the Rental and Leasing categories for the second consecutive year. Volkswagen came in second place in both categories and Toyota came third, also in both categories.

The Value Award goes to Toyota fourth year running. The Value Award is presented to the automotive member which has scored the most combined points in the financial section and, for the fourth year running, Toyota is the winner.

Mini takes the Tutuka Award third year in a row. The Tutuka Award recognises the best scoring automotive member who supplies lower and niche vehicle volumes to the car rental industry, and Mini took top honours in this category for the third consecutive year.

Business Fleet Africa’s SAVRALA MOTY 2021 Special Edition was released shortly after the official announcement of the MOTY results on Thursday the 21st of October 2021. View the Special Edition here.

Photo Gallery: Winners
Photo Gallery: Cocktail Event – Awards Evening

 

TOYOTA TAKES OVERALL GOLD MOTY AWARD AS VOLKSWAGEN CONTINUES RENTAL DOMINANCE

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JOHANNESBURG, OCTOBER 23, 2017 – The Southern African Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (SAVRALA) – whose car rental members manage over 70,000 vehicles and leasing members account for over 55,000 Owned/Funded and 245,000 managed vehicles per annum in South Africa – held their annual industry Manufacturer Of The Year (MOTY) awards at a gala dinner in Sandton on Friday, 20 October 2017.

Despite Volkswagen claiming the MOTY Car Rental title for the seventh consecutive year, just ahead of second-placed Toyota, a resurgent Toyota dominated the Leasing section, which helped them beat off their long-standing competitor to take the much-coveted Overall Gold MOTY Award. Hyundai were placed third.

Congratulating Toyota, the SAVRALA President, Winston Guriah commented that “the MOTY awards again recognise those manufacturers who continue to understand the evolving needs of both car rental and leasing fleet owners”.

In its twenty-second year, MOTY recognises those motor manufacturers who they feel have provided them with the best possible support and assistance during that period. These awards are based on the results of a continually revised and improved industry-specific survey incorporating 38 criteria reviewed twice annually among 24 of the largest Rental and Leasing companies in South Africa.
Questionnaires are completed not by one individual in each company, but by a panel of individuals who depend on and deal directly with each manufacturer. This results in obtaining an accurate, objective, unbiased and company-wide perspective of the service levels experienced.
The results from this competition enable each manufacturer to identify their strengths and work on areas of weakness as highlighted to them by their customers.
Areas of evaluation scored by the Rental members include:
• Communication: Covering the timeous and accurate information on new models, pricing and vehicle delivery, as well as regular manufacturer contact – declined by 3%.
• Support: Assessing the quality of operational support and ability to accommodate industry specific requirements as well as timeous delivery of vehicles – improved by nearly 2%.
• Maintenance: Rating the technical training, contact with the technical representatives, response to technical issues and warranty claims, dealer support, parts availability and flexibility on Goodwill and Policies – declined 1.7%.
• Value: Covering the protection of residual value and pricing structures, under the current economic challenges – improved slightly above last year’s results.
• B-BBEE compliance: Continued to decline as the new B-BBEE Codes take effect.
The Overall Rental industry score this year dropped 1.4% to 57 from last year.
Areas of evaluation scored by the Leasing members, include:
• Communication / Marketing: Including regular visits, information on production issues, pre-launch and ongoing information.
• Technical Support: Measuring the technical relationship as well as provision of technical information and parts availability.
• Financial: Looking at fleet pricing structures and discounts and residual value.
• Dealer Support: Including delivery issues and aftersales service.
• B-BBEE compliance.
While the overall Leasing score this year dropped significantly to 37.5 from 45.2 in 2014 and is well below the rental score, Guriah suggested that “there is no doubt that the manufacturers will now place more focus on the Leasing members to reduce the current gap between the two sections scores”.

Rental Results for 2017:
Winning for the seventh consecutive year, Volkswagen took the Car Rental MOTY award. Toyota moved up from their third position last year into second this year, pushing Hyundai back from their second position last year into third this year.
Volkswagen also receives the Value award, following their top score in this category on the Rental questionnaire.
Renault receives the award for the Most Improved manufacturer on the Rental side as they managed to improve their Rental score the most since last year.
Awarded to the automotive member who supplies lower and niche vehicle volumes to SAVRALA car rental members, the Tutuka award which means ‘progress’ in Zulu, went to Nissan.
Rental 2013 2014 2015 2016 2016 – final position 2017 Improvement
1st Volkswagen 72.7 70.8 68.5 67.3 1 67.3 0.1
2nd Toyota 65.5 65.9 65.8 64.0 3 65.1 1.2
3rd Hyundai 59.7 63.3 65.1 64.2 2 59.6 -4.6

Leasing Results for 2017:
By quite some margin, Toyota took the honours, followed by Hyundai in second position and Volkswagen taking third.
Leasing 2012 2013 2014 2014 – final position 2017 Improvement
1st Toyota 66.8 75.2 69.9 2 65.2 -4.8
2nd Hyundai 69.7 73.7 63.8 4 58.4 -5.4
3rd Volkswagen 76.3 77.9 70.7 1 53.8 -16.9

Best Representative Awards for 2017:
Best Rental Account Executive for the second-year running was Loshini Pillay from Volkswagen, with Robert Wright, also from Volkswagen, voted the best Rental Technical Representative for 2017.
Best Leasing Account Executive was awarded to Faan Fourie from Toyota, while Ramatjitla Penyane, also from Toyota, was voted the best Technical Representative to the Leasing Industry.
On social media, join the conversation using the hashtag #SAMOTY17.
Photos of the award winners are available here:
https://from.sketchup.co.za/index.php/s/Dl5szWtMDoJpTG5

2017 Motor Manufacturers Of The Year (MOTY) to be announced

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Which motor manufacturer will win the coveted title of Manufacturer Of The Year in 2017?

The first round of judging has concluded in the annual MOTY awards process, run by SAVRALA, the Southern African Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association whose car rental members manage over 70,000 vehicles and leasing members account for over 54,800 – Owned/Funded and 244,148 – managed vehicles per annum in South Africa.

In contrast to many other car surveys, this award is based on the largest rental and leasing companies in South Africa scoring their automotive suppliers twice annually on 38 objective criteria which include B-BBEE levels, value for money (eg: vehicle resale, maintenance and cost of parts), vehicle security, communication and support.

The results of the competition are used by motor manufacturers to identify their strengths and improve their areas of weakness as highlighted to them by their customers.

“The vote of confidence given by SAVRALA members to their vehicle suppliers should be an important consideration for the car buying public who also want to buy a vehicle that offers good value for money, reliability and safety,” says Winston Guriah, the President of SAVRALA.

The first round, as voted for by both the rental and leasing sectors, has highlighted the top five manufacturers being Ford, Hyundai, Nissan, Toyota and Volkswagen. In this group, first and second place is separated by less than three points which can easily change the overall scores winners when round two is completed.

“Volkswagen has taken top honours for the past seven years in the rental section, but there has been fierce competition between motor manufacturers where the winning margins have been very small as we are seeing this year. In 2016, Hyundai and Toyota came second and third respectively,” says Winston.

MOTY also identifies the top account representatives and technical representatives from motor manufacturers, evaluating their ability to establish and maintain a successful relationship, and to be proactive and professional in their approach.

Past winners of the MOTY Best Account Representative award include Loshini Pillay from Volkswagen in 2016 and David Maeko from Ford in 2015, while Robert Wright from Volkswagen and Bennita Senyatsi from Nissan won the Best Technical Representative awards in 2016 and 2015 respectively.

“The emphasis on the MOTY results is likely to both increase the service expectation from the rental and leasing companies, while forcing them to look more critically at current service levels provided by manufactures,” says Sandile Ntseoane, the GM of SAVRALA.

“MOTY influences the vehicle purchase decision-making of both the public and large fleet operators who will be comforted by the experiences of the SAVRALA members.”

The results of the 22nd annual SAVRALA MOTY awards will be announced at a gala ceremony in Johannesburg on 20 October.

On social media, join the conversation using the hashtag #SAMOTY17.

Volkswagen South Africa wins 2015 Motor Manufacturer Award

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p2910SavralaVW-001JOHANNESBURG, OCTOBER 23, 2015 – Volkswagen South Africa (VWSA) wins the SAVRALA MOTY (Manufacturer Of The Year) award for the sixth consecutive year.

Celebrating its 20th year, the SAVRALA 2015 Manufacturer of the Year was revealed during a gala award ceremony at the Hilton Hotel in Sandton tonight, 23 October. Incredibly, for six consecutive years, Volkswagen South Africa (VW) took the accolade of overall car rental winner yet again.

Commenting on this achievement, SAVRALA President Marc Corcoran applauded VWSA’s remarkable achievement and said that one had no choice but to respect the consistent and recognised high levels of service given by VWSA to the car rental industry. “An important insight from this year’s data is the improved scores by almost all automotive brands, demonstrating the competitive nature of the industry,” he added.

RIC_5809-VW-2-001The MOTY 2015 results further reveal that VWSA has gained a distinct advantage over its peers in the key survey category of Communication and Support.

The competitive nature of this year’s MOTY awards was best demonstrated by the 0.1 difference in score between Audi SA and Toyota South Africa Motors which swopped podium places, with Audi taking home silver this year.

Illustrating the extent of how some automotive companies have focused special attention on their car rental customers, the Most Improved Award went to BMW SA which leaped from 11th place last year to 7th this year achieving a phenomenal 17% increase in their 2015 score.

Addressing concerns by some automotive brands that they are at a disadvantage when competing against their larger-volume peers in the car rental industry, a new award called Tutuka was created and won by Audi SA. “The performance of Audi this year clearly demonstrates that winning MOTY is not merely a function of the volumes sold to the car rental industry, but also of satisfying customer needs,” said SAVRALA GM Sandile Ntseoane.

The Value Award in its first year was a tight contest, but was won by Ford SA which, by the narrowest of margins, beat VWSA. Commenting further Marc said this ‘’was an important award as the cost of vehicle ownership is a key consideration for any fleet purchase, whether a corporate fleet or individual purchaser.’’

MOTY 2015 also acknowledged the role of certain individuals the car rental industry:

  • Best Account Executive was won by David Maeko (Ford SA)
  • Best Manufacturer’s Technical Representative was won by Bennita Senyatsi (Nissan SA)

The MOTY evening also saw industry stakeholders recognise the remarkable service given by Dawn Jones, Imperial Car Rental CEO, who leaves the industry next month after 35 years.

“Dawn leaves behind an incredible legacy that few could even imagine achieving. Ever the shrewd car rental operator, Dawn had a remarkable, innate skill in developing warm relationships with her colleagues, customers and competitors. The industry thanks her for contribution and wishes her well in her future endeavours,” concluded Marc.

AWARD SUMMARY MOTY OVERALL

Overall Bronze
Toyota South Africa Motors

Overall Silver
Audi South Africa

Overall Gold
Volkswagen South Africa

Best Account Executive
David Maeko (Ford SA)

Best Manufacturer’s Technical Representative
Bennita Senyatsi Nissan (SA)

Most Improved
BMW SA Group

Value Award (Certificate)
Ford (SA)

Tutuka Award
Audi South Africa

On social media, join the conversation using the hashtag #MOTY2015.

About SAVRALA

SAVRALA is the trade body for companies engaged in the rental of passenger cars and commercial vehicles. Founded in the 1970s, SAVRALA represents South Africa’s the car rental rental industry

We lobby government to ensure that regulation and legislation affecting its members is fair. SAVRALA also works with public sector agencies, industry associations and key business influencers on key road transport, taxation and finance-related issues.

For more information about SAVRALA, please contact us.

Annual Charity Golf Day 2015

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The SAVRALA Annual Charity golf day enjoyed excellent weather at the Johannesburg Country Club on the 25th of February 2015 and unlike the previous year where rain soaked the players and the game had to be cut short, this year’s event almost broke all previous records. More than 80 golfers, playing in teams of four, competed in perfect conditions on a course in excellent condition. 80 golfers sat down to an excellent meal with Michael Scholz keeping order as master of ceremonies. The raffle and auction were very well supported and more than R72,000 was raised for the chosen charity.

The SAVRALA President, Marc Corcoran, thanked the members for their continued support of this worthy cause, he thanked the club for giving the event the courtesy of the course. Many of those participating had been involved with the event over many years and its continued success was due to their unwavering support. He thanked all the sponsors once again for their generous giving which resulted in a day of fun and fellowship. The chosen charity organisation that will benefit is The QuadPara Association of South Africa. QASA’s function is to serve quadriplegics, paraplegics and the disability sector in general, in whatever capacity its members find most constructive. The organisation aims to assist people with mobility impairments to lead independent lives with a decent standard of living, in areas ranging from personal care and assistive devices to adequate skills development and employment.

Ari Seirlis, the CEO of QuadPara Association of South Africa (QASA) gave a heartwarming speech on his organisation and thanked SAVRALA for choosing QASA. Marc Corcoran gave feedback on the Leasing Section and advised members of the imminent changes that will take place within SAVRALA. He spoke briefly about the continued collaboration with the automotive sector on legislative issues affecting the industry.

SAVRALA thanks all those involved and looks forward to continued participation and support.

The following companies took part in the SAVRALA Charity Golf Day:

  • Toyota South Africa Motors (Pty) Ltd
  • General Motors South Africa
  • Volkswagen South Africa (Pty) Ltd
  • Bidvest Car Rental t/a Budget
  • Avis Rent A Car (Pty) Ltd
  • ABSA Vehicle Management Solutions
  • Datadot Technology SA (Pty) LTD
  • Mitsubishi Motors South Africa
  • Hyundai Automotive South Africa (Pty) Ltd
  • Nissan South Africa (Pty) Ltd
  • Liquid Capital (Pty) Ltd
  • Audi South Africa
  • FleetAfrica, A Division of Super Group Africa Pty Ltd
  • Infiniti SA (a division of Nissan SA)
  • Kia Motors South Africa (Pty) Ltd
  • Europcar and Tempest Car Hire
  • Top Notch Car Rental CC
  • Accordian / TATA

Hole Sponsors:

  • Toyota South Africa Motors (Pty) Ltd
  • Volkswagen South Africa (Pty) Ltd
  • Bidvest Car Rental t/a Budget
  • Nissan South Africa (Pty) Ltd
  • Hyundai Automotive South Africa (Pty) Ltd
  • Mercedes-Benz South Africa
  • Infiniti SA (a division of Nissan SA)
  • Audi South Africa

Additional Sponsors:

  • Fleet Africa
  • Hertz Car Rental
  • Tempest Car Rental
  • Europcar
  • Avis

By Sandile Ntseoane