When Isuzu Motors South Africa says there’s work to do, they mean it. The company handed over three Isuzu D-MAX bakkies to the humanitarian organisation, Gift of the Givers.
Known as South Africa’s hardest working bakkies, the vehicles set off to the community of Rocklands outside Port Elizabeth to deliver goods on their first day on the job.
While two of the bakkies will be used daily for various disaster relief and humanitarian aid work across South Africa, the other bakkie will be dedicated exclusively to search and rescue purposes.
Gift of the Givers Director of Strategic Planning Badr Kazi said the three bakkies will enrich the organisation’s efficiency in responding to disaster and humanitarian aid situations.
“We are very grateful for the partnership we share with Isuzu Motors South Africa, as a key player in making a difference in the lives of so many South Africans. The bakkies will allow us to have a bigger footprint across South Africa. It will also enable us to be more mobile and stationed closer to known disaster areas,” said Kazi.
Gift of the Givers gives unconditional humanitarian support across geographical boundaries and is currently involved in several operations – including providing animal feed in drought-stricken areas of the Eastern, Northern and Western Cape.
The organisation is also still working tirelessly in Makhanda (Grahamstown), where it has been delivering fresh borehole water with the help of two Isuzu water tank trucks to communities living in the outlying areas of the town since earlier year.
The Isuzu water tankers play a strategic role in getting clean water from new boreholes drilled by Gift of the Givers, to the residents whose taps ran dry due to a water crisis in the town.
Isuzu Motors South Africa Corporate Communications Manager Gishma Johnson said the support to Gift of the Givers forms part of the company’s strategic corporate social responsibility objectives which ensures that its vehicles provide critical logistics support during crisis situations. “We leverage key partnerships to bring about meaningful change in the lives of those affected by adversity. Our vehicles can access the most challenging terrain and we believe they will provide Gift of the Givers the necessary logistical support they require when responding to crises and natural disasters,” Johnson added.
The D-MAX is Isuzu’s class-leading diesel bakkie that has earnt a reputation over more than 40 years for its durability, reliability and capability.
