In a year defined by geopolitical conflicts, supply chain panics and soaring cost pressures, the commercial vehicle sector has been reminded of a simple truth – resilience is built collectively. With solidarity in mind, Daimler Truck Southern Africa (DTSA) framed its 2025 Dealer of the Year (DOTY) awards around a unifying theme ‘Rising as One’ – a message that speaks directly to an industry navigating choppy waters together.
Hosted as one of the group’s most anticipated annual milestones, the DOTY awards did more than recognise performance metrics. They underscored the strength of a dealer network that held firm through what DTSA described as “arguably one of the toughest years the commercial vehicle industry has faced” – a period that demanded adaptability, consistency and above all, cohesion across Southern Africa’s trucking ecosystem.
Standing tallest among a strong field was Orbit Commercial Vehicles Cape Town, which secured the Overall Dealer of the Year title for the fourth time, alongside its second EliteClass win for Southern Africa. The latter places the dealership on the global stage at the Daimler Truck EliteClub event later this year – a benchmark of international excellence within the group.
Rising as One in turbulent waters
DTSA’s ocean metaphor set the tone for the evening – a reflection of an industry shaped by powerful external forces, yet capable of formidable momentum when aligned. The 2025 awards celebrated twelve standout achievements across seven categories, acknowledging dealers and distributors who not only met targets but helped stabilise the broader network through shared effort and purpose.
Speaking at the awards ceremony, Maretha Gerber, President and Group CEO of DTSA said: “The ocean never questions its purpose – each drop simply moves with the next, proving that when every part works together, even the strongest tides find their rhythm and get the job done. Our purpose at DTSA is clear: ‘For all who keep Africa Moving’, and despite stormy waters in 2025, I am extremely proud of the DTSA dealer network and general distributors for coming together, doing their part and delivering on our collective purpose.
“However, in a sea of strong waves, one crest rose the highest, carrying the tide forward: Orbit Commercial Vehicles Cape Town. This is not a once-off phenomenon, but Cornel Oelofse and his team consistently strive for excellence and deliver world class service to customers. A massive congratulations!”
Financial services partnership under the spotlight
The role of integrated financial solutions in sustaining dealer performance was also highlighted, with Daimler Truck Financial Services South Africa (DTFS) recognising top performers in finance penetration – a key enabler of customer confidence and vehicle uptake.
Announcing the winners for this category was Mike Honiball, DTFS CEO who extended a huge congratulations to De Wit Motors Commercial Vehicles Ermelo and Ronnies Motors Commercial Vehicles East London for winning the category ‘Best Daimler Truck Financial Services’ for Mercedes-Benz Trucks and FUSO respectively.
“DTFS is vital because it strengthens customer trust, supports sales, and ensures a seamless, end-to-end ownership experience for our customers. But this level of excellence is only achievable through the partnership and professionalism of our dealer network, whose collaboration remains integral to our success. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the entire dealer network for their performance in 2025,” said Honiball.
Recognising excellence across the network
Beyond the headline winners, the awards reflected a broad base of excellence across sales, service, exports and used vehicle operations:
- Best Retail Sales Dealer for the recognition of the dealer group with the consistent highest monthly target achievement on Retail Sales.
Mercedes-Benz Trucks Winner: Garden City Commercials Pietermaritzburg.
FUSO Trucks Winner: Garden City Commercials Pietermaritzburg. - Best Customer Service and Parts (CSP) Dealer for the recognition of the dealer with the consistent highest quarterly target achievement on parts sales and monthly service Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI).
Mercedes-Benz Trucks Winner: De Wit Motors Commercial Vehicles Ermelo.
FUSO Trucks Winner: Motus Daimler Trucks Rustenburg. - Best CSP & Overall Bus Dealer for the recognition of the Bus Dealer with the consistent highest monthly target achievement on Parts Sales and Service CSO as well as the Bus Dealer with the highest overall monthly target achievement on Retail Sales and CSP combined.
Mercedes-Benz Bus (CSP) Winner: Sandown Commercial Vehicles Bus Centre.
Mercedes-Benz Bus (Overall) Winner: Orbit Commercial Vehicles Cape Town. - Best Export Partner for the recognition of the Export Partners with the consistent highest monthly target achievement on Export Sales and Parts Sales.
Mercedes-Benz Trucks Winner: Technica Industrial – Mozambique.
FUSO Trucks Winner: Naledi Motors Gaborone. - Best Daimler Truck Financial Services Dealer for the recognition of the dealer group with the consistent highest monthly achievement on Finance Penetration.
Mercedes-Benz Trucks Winner: De Wit Motors Commercial Vehicles Ermelo.
FUSO Trucks Winner: Ronnies Motors Commercial Vehicles East London. - Best TruckStore Agent for the recognition of the TruckStore Agent with the consistent highest monthly sales to target achievement.
Winner: Orbit Commercial Vehicles Cape Town.
Editor’s comment: In times of global disruption – from geopolitical tension to volatile energy markets – the instinct can be to retreat into silos. DTSA’s 2025 DOTY theme makes the opposite case, and convincingly so. ‘Rising as One’ is more than branding. It is a strategic acknowledgement that dealer networks are not just sales channels, but shock absorbers for the entire value chain.
Orbit Cape Town’s repeat dominance is impressive, but the bigger story is a network that stayed aligned under pressure. In a sector where uptime is currency and trust is everything, that kind of solidarity may prove to be the industry’s most valuable asset.
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