Three cheers to Hino Trucks for playing a vital role in assisting farmers in need in the Vanwyksvlei region of the Northern Cape. This area has not had rain for eight years and at least 13 farms have been abandoned due to the worst drought in 50 years.
Many of the people living in this region are emerging farmers who do not have the resources to keep their farms going for long periods without rain so the fodder being hauled to their region is a true life-saver for which they are extremely grateful.
Two of Hino SA’s driver trainers, Zenzele Mafokate and Joseph Peme, take turns to drive the Hino 700 2845 link combination with 56-ton GVM. Each trip to Vanwyksvlei takes about 18 hours, going via Kimberley. Both Hino SA and Hino East Rand contributed towards the running costs of these trips.
The key people arranging the transport and distribution of this much-needed fodder are Nick Vlok, a man many in our industry will know as the former CEO of Digicore (howzit Nick!) and Dominee Deon van der Walt, while Garth Middleditch, a key accounts executive at Hino East Rand, is involved in liaising the Hino involvement in this joint effort.
“We are totally supportive of this project to help farmers in need and are glad that this support extends to our dealers and customers,” says Pieter Klerck, General Manager of Hino SA.
This project once again shows the role that the trucking industry plays in the economy and in communities. The truck’s role here lies not only in hauling fodder. Rather, it is also hauling hope for many emerging farmers whose prospects of a decent future lay stricken in the drought-ravaged land. Haps off to Hino and to trucking!
