IN A WORLD where global brands rule, there is a South African car rental company that is taking a wholly South African brand onto the world market.  And its commitment to people – which is all that really differentiates one car rental company from another – is so great, that there was an in-house joke when they started that they had more staff than cars!

I met up with Bruce Barritt, MD of First Car Rental, at Indaba in Durban.  First Car Rental is a subsidiary of Combined Motor Holdings (CMH Ltd) which is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.

While First Car Rental is a relative newcomer in comparison to their competition (having opened its doors in 1999 as the National & Alamo brands), Bruce Barritt has a 30-year track record in the car rental industry.  Bruce Barritt ran the National Alamo franchise in SA for nine years – winning numerous awards as the best global franchise – until the National Alamo EMEA brands were sold to Europcar… South Africa was really a by-product of an International transaction – without much consideration & after First Car Rental (then National Alamo South Africa) paid R180 million in royalties.

But they had their own systems and a very loyal client base so the change to First Car Rental was smooth and their growth since then has been rapid.

His first passion in the company are the people because that’s what sets the company apart.  “We have very committed people at First  Car Rental – they are the lifeblood of the business.  This is a people business,” he says.  He expects everybody within his compliment of staff to make the customer’s experience hassle-free and memorable.

He is also committed to having the most user-friendly systems in the industry and their online systems are very, very good.  They have been innovative, introducing a number of firsts in the local industry.  The vision of wanting to move to a process where bar-coded vehicles and contracts replace the paper trail is more than 50% there, giving staff more time to interact with and get to know their customers.  His biggest nightmare is losing the personal touch and not having direct and immediate contact with all FCR’s customers.  “If something goes wrong, I want to pick up the phone and fix it,” he says.

The in-house joke about more staff than cars started when they rolled out their very impressive national footprint.  You can rent a First Car Rental vehicle almost anywhere in SA.

The move to roll out the First Car Rental brand started in Mauritius and was followed by a former National Alamo franchisee in Malta who needed to be part of a international brand to keep his airport slot.  A few other international franchisees are under consideration at the moment.

Increasing the revenue stream is less important than the marketing footprint of a global brand and it’s with some pride that Bruce says that this is the first time a South African car rental brand has gone international.

First Car Rental also has a servicing agreement with Sixt Rent a Car which is very strong in Germany and also has a presence throughout Europe, South America and the Asia-Pacific region.

They have just launched Direct Transfer, a chauffered service that picks you up and takes you from A to B.  Click the link to check it out.

When CapeInfo started looking for a marketing partner and sponsor for Travels with Akela, FCR stood out  as the most responsive, friendly and innovative.  They are a delight to work with.

Click here to rent your next vehicle.

The fantastic people at Durban’s ICC who made arrangements for Akela to visit were all keen to meet her.

These photos are the highlights of the people she met — the story on Indaba and our travels there will follow.

Most ask if they can touch Akela but only women get lucky — she’s female and only makes friends with women and children, running away from men. (She’s bonded to her pack so hard luck to all other men!)

If you’re coming from Johannesburg, the road to Tzaneen takes you past the outskirts of Polokwane, Limpopo’s capital, and then east. Surprisingly, it’s a proper dual carriageway with a wide median down the middle — not something I’ve seen very often around here – probably because I avoid toll roads because I they show how government shifts its responsibility of providing arterial infrastructure onto taxpayers and tourists!

(You can also fly to Polokwane International Airport on scheduled flights, but I’m not sure where the “International” bit comes from. First Car Rental has a branch there so rent a car from them.  They offer great cars, great value, great service and they’re really very friendly.)

Polokwane to Tzaneen takes about an hour and, if one continues another hour along Route 71, you come to Phalaborwa and the Kruger National Park.  (Yes, most of the Park actually lies in Limpopo.)

Leaving Polokwane, you come across “village” after “village”, all within the greater Polokwane metropolitan area.  It’s scary… Polokwane’s urban sprawl goes on for kilometre after kilometre.  If Polokwane municipality aims to provide uniform service delivery and services throughout its area, it will bankrupt itself or its citizens with this kind of land usage.

It’s an interesting drive though and could be a fascinating tourist route.  On the way back, I want to photograph some of the eye-catching shops along the road.  Maybe I’ll meet some interesting people too.

The road takes you past Zion City at Moria which makes the news every year — over five million people travel there at Easter, in early September and over Christmas for religious celebrations.

The Zion City Church was formed by Engenas Lekganyane after a revelation he is said to have received from God in 1910. Followers believe that the church’s leader (today it’s Lekganyane’s grandsons) stand between the congregation and God; and that, like Christ, can perform miracles.  Hmmm… yes.

The dual carriageway ends at Moria.  Could it have been built just for those three annual events?  Limpopo Tourism say the province’s tourism benefits greatly but I’m not so sure.  Pilgrims arrive by any means of transport available and the visit is singularly focused.  Apart from fuel and food, and the requirements for staging massive events, few tourism rands get spread around.  If anything, all other tourists are discouraged from visiting the province at those times.  Limpopo Traffic advised CapeInfo not to travel at these times.

But that’s also where the road starts taking you into the mountains.  The scenery changes so dramatically you could be in a different world.

Moving from Polokwane to Mopani municipal districts also had another very noticeable contrast – spotless roads with tidy road verges and strategically placed roadside picnic spots in shade.  For the first time in Limpopo, I had the feeling that this municipality really cares.  (I was so impressed that I was compelled to pop into the municipal manager and mayor’s offices in Tzaneen to tell them.  Well done guys!)

The vegetation is typical bushveld as you climb the winding pass and then — all of a sudden — you’re in forests with vistas of dramatic mountain after dramatic mountain.  This is where the Drakensberg escarpment ends!

Descending the first pass you come to the small village of Haenertsburg … in the Land of the Silver Mist”".  I’d never heard of it before but watch it become a “must-visit” route destination.  Old-timers may resent a new-found tourism status, but they should watch their property values climb!

I drove past it the first time thinking, “pretty, but not worth a detour.”  My host in Tzaneen, Adri Kruger of Tzaneen Country Lodge, told me I must visit Martin & Jen at the Iron Crown Pub & Grill.  She was right — this is one of those places that defines a town.  What friendly owners, what a buzz and I will be back… and so will many others I guess.  It also made me venture further into the village.

The road dips into another valley and overlooks the spectacular Ebenezer dam, shimmering blue surrounded by green forests. Then another ascent brings one to Magoebaskloof, named after King Makgoba, leader of the Tlou people who defied the Boer government from 1888–1895.  He was eventually killed by Swazi impis employed by the Boers when they failed to take his mountaintop domain.

Approaching Tzaneen, one enters one of the most intensely farmed areas in SA’s northern provinces.  Some facts about the greater Tzaneen area are telling:

• It’s known as the fruit basket of South Africa, growing mango, avocado, tomato, banana, tea and the whole basket of citrus.
• The area has been rated one of the wealthiest in South Africa.
• It’s won South Africa’s Cleanest Town of the Year award.

Tzaneen, on the banks of the huge Tzaneen dam, must be the greenest town I’ve ever seen.  Only the commercial centre seems to stand above the canopy of trees that covers the town.  It’s the second largest town in Limpopo (population 80,000), and serves the greater Tzaneen area which has a population of about 700,000 people.  This shows in the CBD which has excellent shopping.

Notes on photographs
I will replace and add to the pics on these pages when I get better ones.  If anyone can help with stunning photographs of the area, they are really appreciated and will be credited when used. Getting great pics means being at the right place at the right time which is rather difficult when you’re just passing through.  Good lighting is everything in the harsh sunshine.

I did go into the Tzaneen info office to see if they have a photo CD and ask for further information on the area. All I got was generic info on Limpopo! Not helpful at all, nor any warm welcome.

A polarising filter is essential for photography in Limpopo.  I haven’t managed to find a 62mm one yet for the Sony A200 DSLR which takes magnificent photographs.

I finally realised why Cape Town is a global centre for film and advertising film shoots — it has unique lighting (and named one of the top five blue sky cities of the world). An architect friend had just completed a building in Cape Town with a dusky pink Marmoran finish. It really looked good so they decided to use it again for a building they were doing in Johannesburg. They put a test panel up on the Joburg building but… what was dusky pink in Cape Town appeared a dirty grey in Johannesburg!

First Car Rental, and the rest of the CMH Group, stand out as one of the most dynamic and truly service-orientated companies we’ve ever come across.

They have branches in Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Johannesburg, Boksburg, Witbank, Pretoria, Durban, Pinetown, Umhlanga Rocks, Uvongo, Pietermaritzburg, Richards Bay, George, Port Elizabeth, East London, Nelspruit, Polokwane, Phalaborwa, Bloemfontein, Kimberley and Upington.

CapeInfo has identified a wide-ranging marketing opportunities with the Group but, in the meantime, click here to try out First Car Rental for great service and value.

Sony SA lent us a digital SLR camera – the Sony A200 with a 18-250mm lens. What bliss!

A novice will capture great pics immediately and with no fuss in automatic mode, and when you need to deal with tricky situations, the camera has all the manual settings you need.

It feels good, sounds good and is packed with features… but we’ll tell you more about it as we discover more.

If you’re in the market for a digital camera, we suggest you read what Shaun Barnett wrote in Imaging Resource:

“Analysis. I’m happy to report that Sony has shipped a digital SLR that I find easy to recommend to anyone, a position previously held mainly by the Nikon D40/D40x and Canon Rebel XT/XTi. The Sony A200′s handsome, compact body fits well in most hands, and it is easy to learn and use on a daily basis. The Sony A200 has a large array of good quality lenses to choose from, and the kit lens turns out excellent images without much trouble.”

The link above to the full review is worth reading!