My second year as a B.Com student stands out in my memory for two reasons. Early in February that year, 1968, I met Tillie, my future wife. It occurred during the usual welcoming function for first-year students in the H.F. van der Merwe Scholtz hall. All the new students had to stand against the wall with their heads facing down, ready for “inspection” and questioning by the senior students. One person in particular immediately caught my attention. When I reached her, I lifted her head, looked her in the eyes, and knew. She was beautiful and I sensed her character and intelligence. That evening when I arrived home, I excitedly told my mother that I had just met my future wife. I did not know, however, that it would require blood, sweat and tears to eventually convince her to agree.
The second significant memory of my second year of studying as a B.Com student relates to my exposure to an outstanding lecturer, Prof. Johann Nortje. He helped awaken the passion for marketing in me. His lectures were interesting, enthusiastically presented and his case studies captured my imagination. My handbook, The Fundamentals of Marketing (1964) by Prof. William J. Stanton from the University of Colorado, became my favourite bedtime reading. Another book, The Principles of Marketing by Tousley, Clark and Clark, soon joined my preferred reading list. Every day in Prof. Nortje’s class I became more determined to pursue a career in the exciting world of business and marketing.
It was at this time that I got my first car – the legendary 1961 Renault Dauphine, originally belonging to my mother. After my mother, my two older brothers used it when they were students. My enthusiasm for the little 850 cc white car knew no bounds. This event had a number of consequences. It strengthened my interest in and knowledge of cars further. It also made me a fanatical Renault supporter – which would eventually result in me being employed by Toyota in 1973.
Things were very different in those days. Despite the fact that my fuel bill was, amazingly, less than R1 per week, the Dauphine still absorbed a huge part of my disposable income. I was forever busy modifying the engine for better performance and adding accessories for better looks. This continuous drain on my solvency encouraged me to study harder and do my part-time job at Stellenvale to the best of my ability. Finally, it also played an important role in my courtship of Tillie. From my perspective, it transported us in style everywhere we went – Sunday evenings to church and to the drive-in movies whenever we could afford it. Unfortunately, because of its age and my never-ending tampering with the engine, my little white car became very temperamental – it sometimes, especially on cold winter evenings, refused to start. Tillie did not yet have a drivers licence and therefore, albeit very indignantly, she became the designated one to push-start the car. This obviously ruined many a romantic evening . . .
After obtaining my B.Com degree majoring in Business Economics and Transport Economics, I continued with my honours on a part-time basis. To finance this I started working at Kloppers as a trainee manager in December 1969. Kloppers was the leading discount retail outlet in Bloemfontein, similar to Game and Dion in terms of product range and marketing strategy. Willem Klopper was the owner and Richard Fouché the manager, both competent and aggressive retailers. This family business remains one of the most prominent retailers in the Free State to this day.
That December at Kloppers was a crucial test for me. It was their busiest time of the year and I had to alternate roles between salesman, cashier and even switchboard operator. Every morning at half past six we started unpacking stock and most evenings after seven we were still busy with deliveries. Notwithstanding hard work, I really enjoyed the different tasks, especially the sales function. “Oom Willem” and Richard were difficult to work for, but always fair. I soon realised that the world of business is all about delivering results. Sales targets had to be met, come what may, and the books had to balance every day. To stand behind a counter as an anonymous person with little perceived status, serving the public, offered valuable experience. Their behaviour, good or bad, was in many ways a revelation. I had to learn to deal with aggressive, even abusive behaviour at times and realised soon that some customers were not always entirely honest and ethical in their approach. Yet, as per Tannie Hester’s example, I treated everybody with respect. Fortunately, the majority by far exemplified integrity and kindness and became my friends.
A few months later I was asked to open a mini branch of Kloppers in the Bloemfontein CBD. It was a small shop, located near all the major banks, and I was the only staff member. I had to sell the whole range of wares, from ladies pantyhose to refrigerators. The call I had to take every afternoon at exactly five o’clock from “Oom Willem” regarding the daily turnover served as a great source of encouragement. My service to customers was fully integrated. The stoves, refrigerators and washing machines that I sold during the day, I delivered after hours with the help of Kloppers’ delivery staff and their orange Datsun pickups. The excitement of working towards specific goals and the fulfilment of achieving them was a great source of motivation.
During this time I also founded the Bloemfontein Renault Club. It was the golden era of Renault’s motor sport success with their Alconi, Gordini and Alpine models, and enthusiasm for the brand ran high. The club members went on outings during weekends and we organised our own gymkhanas, rallies and quarter-mile sprints. My Dauphine had been replaced by a white 1964 Renault Caravelle two-door sports coupe. Although it had already done 160 000 kilometres by the time I bought it, the car was in perfect condition and my absolute pride and joy. So much so, that I washed and polished it at least three times a week.
The challenge to pull a diverse group of Renault owners together in a club proved to be invaluable leadership and management experience. In addition, I enjoyed my participation in motor sport immensely. Tillie and I did a few rallies, with her as the navigator. Despite my driving antics resulting in a severely car-sick fiancé and some unplanned pit stops, we were a formidable team – and our relationship survived. The pinnacle of my brief and rather obscure motor sport career was my participation in a three-hour endurance race with another Renault fanatic, Sam Scholtz. The car was a modified Dauphine which we built up mostly from parts sourced from scrap yards. Despite our shoestring budget, limited driving experience and an orange-coloured little car that kept on overheating, we finished the race. As we embraced in the pitlane at Bloemfontein’s Brandkop circuit, tears of joy flowed.
The Renault Club prospered and boasted almost one hundred active members. Not surprisingly, Renault’s market share in Bloemfontein benefitted from the high profile we enjoyed in the community. As a result the local dealer gave us great support. During my tenure as chairman of the club I also built up a good relationship with Vincent Wright, the Public Relations Manager at Renault Africa. Later in my life he would be instrumental in initiating the opportunity for me at Toyota SA in 1973.
After obtaining my Honours degree in Business Economics I was offered the position of junior lecturer and researcher at the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISEN) at the University of the Free State. I accepted, since I wanted to do my Masters and therefore had to brush Kloppers’ dust off my feet. At ISEN I became involved in interesting projects aimed at preventing the further economic decline of rural Free State towns. I also worked hard at the dissertation for my Masters degree. Guided by my passion for cars, I decided to use the viability of the retail motor industry in Bloemfontein as the subject for my thesis. The quantitative research that I had to do forced me to meet with all the big motor retailers and learn from them first hand. Their feedback assisted me greatly in my future career in the motor industry.
In that year I was appointed by CAR magazine as their part-time motor sport correspondent for the Free State. Armed with a notebook and a camera I attended motor races and rallies over weekends and then struggled afterwards to write short articles in my best English. The reality was that my vocabulary was rather limited due to my rural Afrikaans upbringing. During my early years I knew only four English words: yes, no, and obviously Ford and Chev!
I will always remain grateful to CAR and Alan Ramsay in particular for this opportunity. My friendship with Alan strengthened over the years and still remains one of my most rewarding. I was particularly honoured when Alan asked me to deliver the keynote address – in English “nogal” – when CAR celebrated its 50th anniversary many years later in 2007.
My proudest day ever was 4 September 1971, my wedding day. My prophetic words to my mother three years earlier after meeting Tillie for the