Hino South Africa has once again answered a call for help from the South African farming community in terms of transporting fodder for urgently needed drought relief. Hino recently provided a 700 2845 truck-tractor from its demonstrator fleet to deliver 34 tons of much-needed fodder from Secunda to Loeriesfontein, a journey of about 1 500 km.
“Although there has been heavy rain and flooding in many parts of South Africa recently there are still pockets of the country in the fierce grip of a drought, particularly areas in the Northern Cape,” explained Gilbert Martin, Founder of ‘We are South Africans’ and ‘The People of South Africa Foundation NPC’, which coordinates many of the local drought relief initiatives.
“Loeriesfontein has been hard hit by drought since 2013 and on one occasion the town and its surroundings had no rain for seven years, relying solely on ground water. In certain cases, in these drought stricken areas we sometimes see one part of a farm that is green while other sections are bone dry. This is most distressing for the many small scale livestock farmers living in these areas.
“We not only deliver fodder for animals, but also desperately needed food such as potatoes and butternuts into Namaqualand towns such as Springbok, Garries, and Kamieskroon”.
“Our relationship with Hino South Africa, their dealers, and the Hino Knights goes back to the aftermath of the July 2021 riots. They have subsequently helped us immensely by providing transport and coordinating the delivery of fodder and food to areas hit by floods, drought, and fires. We are most grateful for these helping hands from members of the Hino family,” added Martin.
Hino has been involved in many other similar disaster assistance schemes in the past. This included providing a Hino 700 2848 truck tractor on loan for four months in 2021 when the need was transporting fodder to the drought-stricken region around Vanwyksvlei, Boesmanland, and Calvinia. The Hino truck tractor and trailer combination undertook more than 20 trips during this time, covering almost 40 000 km.
“We are very pleased that we have again been able to assist community organisations in providing food for livestock and the inhabitants of these regions of our country,” commented Itumeleng Segage, General Manager of Hino South Africa.
“Our parent company, Toyota SA Motors was given significant support from the farming community after it was established in the 1960’s. Since Hino, a Toyota Group company, arrived here in 1972 they have also provided reliable and durable transport to the agricultural sector. We are particularly grateful to the organisations that arrange support for those affected by disasters and will continue to provide assistance when possible,” concluded Segage.
