Ramaphosa marks 75 years of Volkswagen in Kariega as plant hits 5 million vehicles
The President credited the Uitenhage factory as the only plant in the world building the Polo, and the sole exporter of the model to Europe and Asia Pacific.
President Cyril Ramaphosa marked 75 years of Volkswagen manufacturing in South Africa at a gala dinner in Kariega, telling guests the plant is the oldest Volkswagen manufacturing facility outside Europe and the only one in the world that builds the Volkswagen Polo.
The first Volkswagen Beetle came off the production line at the site, then Uitenhage, on 31 August 1951. Ramaphosa described that moment as the start of what became the largest German investment in Southern Africa.
Speaking at the Volkswagen Group Africa anniversary event, he said the factory is the sole exporter of the Polo to Europe and to the Asia Pacific market. “Every Polo you see outside South Africa was built right here,” he said, adding that South African workers build a car exported around the world.
Close to five million vehicles have been built at the plant, according to the President. The models he listed include the Beetle, the Combi, the Golf, the Jetta, the Citi Golf, the Polo and the Polo Vivo. He said South Africa is the only country on the African continent that can claim to have manufactured five million vehicles.
Ramaphosa also recognised Volkswagen’s record during apartheid, saying it was the first company in the industry to recognise black trade unions and to employ black artisans at a time when he said that was neither easy nor popular. He asked the audience to acknowledge that history.
The Presidency of South Africa published the address on its YouTube channel. The source video is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6IXvasQipY.
