THE TRUCK THAT TURNS HEADS

BY MDUDUZI MAGAGULA

MATSAPHA – A monster truck branded with colours of the Swazi flag is causing a stir along the country’s roads.

The Mercedes horse-and-trailer is owned by a Matsapha-based logistics company, known as South Star.
It is exclusively used to haul fuel from various places around the country, South Africa and Mozambique.

South Star is a Swazi company owned by businessmen Nkhanyeti Ngwenya and Wayne Levendale.
The two business gurus used to be part of the successful entities Mr Bread and Swaziland United Bakeries (SUB), which were sold to South Africa’s Premier Foods.
They now operate an entity capitalised with over E40 million, operating a fleet of 26 trucks.

At least 14 of the trucks are new and were purchased solely to transport fuel around the country and outside Swaziland.
The company recently won a contract to transport fuel on behalf of Puma Swaziland, a supplier that operates over 25 filling stations in various parts of the country.

In an interview, Levendale said the truck was not only a flagship for the company but also for the country. “We are patriotic and very proud to be Swazi-owned,” he said.
He said the truck was chosen to be a ‘flag bearer’ for the country and company because of its huge size and the fact that it was a head-turner. “It is a monster truck and we are proud of that. It grabs attention wherever it went.”
Levendale said the truck came at a huge cost.

The company spent around E4 million purchasing it, when the average price of trucks close to its size is around E2 million.
On painting the truck with the national flag colours, Levendale said the company saw an opportunity to portray a positive image of Swaziland in the international community because the truck was the best in the industry.
“It is highly advanced and has an eight-valve engine, 580-horse power and can pull 120 tonnes of weight.”

He also said they painted the truck in Swazi flag colours because their company was proudly Swazi.
He said they saw an opportunity to market Swaziland as a brand to the international community, especially in countries where the truck travelled to make deliveries of fuel.

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