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Stuff from Johannesburg

JMC Heads to Kyalami Pits

Johannesburg: JMC South Africa will bring its growing bakkie range to the 2026 Festival of Motoring at Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, in Johannesburg, South Africa from 28 to 30 August, taking up a stand in the pit complex and giving South African motorists their first public look at the all new JMC Grand Avenue.

Since returning to the South African market, JMC has built a reputation for delivering honest, capable bakkies and small trucks that offer far more than their price tags suggest. The brand’s presence at the Festival of Motoring, one of the country’s most significant automotive showcases, marks the next step in that journey and places JMC alongside the biggest names in the industry.

The decision to locate the stand in the pit complex is a deliberate one. It puts the JMC range in the busiest part of the circuit, at eye level with visitors who come to Kyalami to look closely, ask questions and compare vehicles side by side.

“The Festival of Motoring is where South Africa comes to see what is next, and this year we have something genuinely exciting to show them,” said Bianca Naude, PR Manager of Salvador Caetano South Africa, GAC Motor & JMC Motor.

“The Grand Avenue is an important product for the JMC range. It is a bakkie that has been developed with real understanding of what South African buyers want, and revealing it in the pits at Kyalami, in front of the people who will actually own and use it, felt like exactly the right way to introduce it.”

The Grand Avenue represents JMC’s most ambitious offering to date and its first serious contender in the heart of the South African double cab market. Built on a ladder frame chassis and offered in double cab form, it stands out for its size and presence, measuring 5 450 mm in length on a 3 270 mm wheelbase, which makes it longer than several of the established players in the segment.

Power comes from an up tuned 2.5 litre turbodiesel engine producing 155 kW and 500 Nm, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and a BorgWarner four-wheel drive system. Braked towing capacity is rated at 3 500 kg, placing the Grand Avenue firmly in the company of the segment’s most established names.

“We have always believed that South African bakkie buyers should not have to choose between capability, comfort and value,” added Bianca. “The Grand Avenue is proof that they do not. It is a serious piece of engineering, and we are confident it is going to change how people think about what a bakkie in this class should offer.”

Visitors to the JMC stand will also find the new generation Vigus double cab, which arrived earlier this year and quickly established itself as one of the most affordable double cabs available in South Africa. JMC product specialists will be on hand across all three days to walk visitors through the range, the ownership experience and the brand’s plans for the year ahead.

The Festival of Motoring runs daily from 08:30 to 18:00 at Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, with tickets available online. JMC will be located in the pit complex for the duration of the show.

As JMC South Africa continues to expand its footprint and its dealer network across the country, the brand remains focused on delivering vehicles that work as hard as the people who drive them, backed by an ownership experience South African buyers can rely on.

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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.