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Stuff from Johannesburg

Enhancing the Customer Experience Across Southern Africa

Johannesburg, South Africa – Following the recent opening of its South African manufacturing facility and continued investment in the region, Chery South Africa has announced an enhanced strategic partnership with Digicall Group to strengthen customer support, roadside assistance and aftersales services across South Africa and selected Southern African Development Community (SADC) markets.

The enhanced partnership reinforces Chery’s commitment to delivering a seamless ownership experience while supporting local businesses, creating employment opportunities and investing in regional service excellence.

“As Chery continues its rapid growth across Southern Africa, our responsibility extends beyond delivering exceptional vehicles. We are committed to ensuring every customer enjoys responsive, professional and consistent support throughout their ownership journey,” says Floris du Toit, Group Aftersales Director for Chery South Africa.

“Our strengthened partnership with Digicall Group enables us to scale our customer support capabilities while creating opportunities for local service providers and contributing to skills development and economic growth.”

The partnership will introduce improved customer case management, enhanced roadside assistance, faster response times, expanded after-hours support and closer integration between dealerships, technical teams and customer care. Customers will also benefit from improved digital engagement and real-time case tracking, creating a more seamless and transparent ownership experience.

“Digicall’s capabilities, refined over 23 years of serving customers, have earned the trust of multinational brands such as the Chery Group. A reflection of the company’s execution standards and its ecosystem-led approach to servicing car manufacturers in South Africa,” says Musa F. Sambo, Chief Commercial Officer at Digicall.

“This partnership reinforces our core belief in prioritising the customer at every touchpoint, using data and technology to continuously improve the service experience for Chery customers throughout their vehicle ownership journey.”

As Chery’s vehicle parc continues to grow across Southern Africa, the partnership will expand to support selected SADC markets through integrated cross-border customer assistance, regional roadside support and consistent customer service standards under the Chery Family Care umbrella.

Supporting local enterprise remains a key focus of the collaboration, with continued investment in South African roadside assistance providers, towing operators, customer support specialists, technology partners and regional supply chain businesses.

The new partnership reflects Chery South Africa’s long-term commitment to customer satisfaction and reinforces its ambition to set a new benchmark for automotive customer experience across Africa.

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Sophiatown: The Lost “Paris of the Transvaal”

Sophiatown’s golden age was the 1940s and 50s. It was a dense, vibrant, and often dangerous neighborhood, characterized by “backyard” rooms, shebeens (illegal speakeasies), and a sophisticated social scene. It was the birthplace of Kwaito’s ancestors and the legendary “Marabi” music—a blend of traditional African rhythms and American ragtime. The streets were home to the most iconic figures of African literature and music: Miriam Makeba found her voice here; Hugh Masekela received his first trumpet from a local priest; and the writers of Drum magazine, like Can Themba and Bloke Modisane, used the neighborhood as their muse. They dressed in Fedora hats and double-breasted suits, channeling the style of Hollywood gangsters and Harlem intellectuals, creating a world that was cosmopolitain, intellectual, and radically multi-racial.

However, the “Bohemia” of Sophiatown was an existential threat to the National Party’s vision of total racial separation. The government viewed it as a “black spot” in a white area. In 1955, the state launched Western Areas Removal Scheme. On the morning of February 9th, 2,000 heavily armed police officers moved in, forcing families into trucks at gunpoint. They were relocated to the newly established matchbox houses of the South Western Townships (Soweto), 20 kilometers away. The resistance was led by figures like Trevor Huddleston, the Anglican priest whose church, St. Joseph’s, still stands today. Despite the slogan “Ons dak nie, ons pola hier” (We are not moving, we are staying here), the bulldozers were relentless.