Long-time sales manager and Port Alfred resident Richard Axe, who signed on the dotted line for Kenrich Delta way back in 1996, will now drive the sales and service division of Kelston Haval following its launch in the Eastern Cape town on December 1.
The 57-year-old said the dealership, acquired by the Kelston Motor Group in 2020, aimed to expand Haval’s footprint while complementing the other brands in its stable.
“We will look after the current customer base as we have done for many years, but we will supplement this with the sales and service of the complete Haval and GWM ranges.”
The new direction of the dealership is yet another chapter in an unexpected career for Axe, who has been living in the coastal town since he sold his very first car.
He matriculated at St Andrew’s College in Makhanda in 1984, completed two years of compulsory national service and then applied to study marketing at Nelson Mandela University (then UPE) in Gqeberha.
“I had to wait for a year to enter so I ended up taking a job in a clothing store in Grahamstown (Makhanda) to fill the time.”
Before he knew it, he had been sucked into the building industry in Makhanda, which led to a two-year stint with a tap company in Johannesburg.
“I was not so happy up there, so I came back home to the Eastern Cape and ended up taking a job in vehicle sales with Kenrich Delta here in Port Alfred.”
Over the years, Axe has witnessed many changes at the dealership due to developments at head office.
“We went from Delta (Opel and Isuzu) to General Motors, which included the Chevrolet brand. When GM decided to pull out of South Africa, we lost Opel and Chevrolet and became Isuzu only.”
He believed the arrival of Haval and GWM in the town would give Kelston an opportunity to diversify and increase its share in the new-car market.