After the event - Elephant Charge 2019

The 2019 Elephant Charge happened last weekend. And we’re proud to announce that our team won the shortest net distance trophy, raising $18,347 and completed the course in 21.27km! Congratulations also go to Conservation Lower Zambezi Mudhogs, winners of the shortest competition distance trophy at 18.27km, the many other trophy winners, and everyone else who took part.

This year’s Elephant Charge raised a total of £139,260 for conservation projects in Zambia. The amount brought the total over the years to over $1,000,000 !

To get a taste of the atmosphere, the highs and the lows, here are a few photos of the event courtesy of https://www.elephantcharge.org/ (in no particular order)

Autoworld In House Training on Motul Lubricants

Trainer Pascal Mukuka on the far-right hand side standing

Autoworld constantly invests in its staff, with regular training arranged in order to maintain a high level of professionalism.

Late August sales and purchasing staff, including those from our fitment centre, attended a lubricants workshop, with Lubricants Sales Manager Themba Mukuka, from CFAO Group of Companies, as trainer. Mr Mukuka explained the unique benefits of using Motul lubricants, urging staff to encourage our customers to use them.

There were two training sessions in all, with 12 attendees at each session.

All about the Elephant charge 4x4 challenge

By David Findlay, Autoworld Rally Team Captain

The Elephant charge is an off road rally challenge filled with adrenaline and adventure. Each team of up to 6 members drive in mountainous terrain in a 4x4 trying to get the shortest possible distance around the course of 10 checkpoints. That’s it!

It’s not so much speed that wins, but slow and very technical driving. The race is an 8 hour event and in that time the winning team should complete a total distance of 25-30 km. This is easier said than done as there are hardly any roads on the course and teams solely rely on GPS navigation. However the Elephant charge is not only about being thrown about in a 4x4 for eight hours in order to stand a chance of winning a trophy. Its true purpose is one of greater importance ...

Raising money for conservation

That’s the key! The teams have a mammoth task ahead of them each year to approach companies and individuals to seek sponsorship. This can be done in many different ways. However the Autoworld team has partnered with all our local and international suppliers around the world. When they offer special discounts on purchases we buy, we pass these onto the Elephant charge each year. This has been a highly successful method, raising a total of USD156,443 from 2010 to date. And still counting!

The sponsorship funds raised each year are used for conservation, specifically for education and anti-poaching initiatives. There are many conservation organisations from all over Zambia supported by the Elephant charge. These are listed here https://www.elephantcharge.org/beneficiaries

Trophies won

Besides raising money for conservation, Team Autoworld has won three trophies for the shortest net distance, one trophy for the overall race and tsetse line, and four trophies for the gauntlet (a section of the course designated as ‘extreme terrain’).

Our Elephant charge team finds it a great pleasure and privilege to represent not only Autoworld but also the many suppliers that support this cause!

The Autoworld Rally car - ups and downs

In 2010 the Autoworld team started the race in a Fiat Jeep which broke down after only a few kilometres. We completed the race in a standard Land Cruiser vehicle - with poor results.

The first car the Autoworld team started with in the 2010 Elephant charge, and learned a good lesson from the experience (completing the race in a Toyota Land Cruiser pick up)

Team Autoworld in 2010

In 2011 we built up a Hilux Surf, thanks to generous support from our sponsors. This vehicle, fully modified, eventually won the Elephant charge in 2014! We raced the Hilux Surf until 2017, when we received overwhelming support to build a new vehicle.

2018 Car and Sponsors

Throughout the year 2018 there was a lot of panic to get the new car working and ready to race in September. This cost me a broken hand while working with the engineers day and night to finish the vehicle. I finally completed the car with a team of mechanics/electricians and fabricators two nights before the race, leaving hardly any time for thorough testing.

I want to particularly thank the following sponsors for all the support to build this vehicle and raise a significant amount for conservation:

Autoworld Ltd
TJM Australia
Tracks 4 Africa
Pratley
Willard batteries
Zamtyre Distributors
Raylite batteries
GUD filters
Safeline brake pads
Tire World Exports
Spanjaard
Castrol Lubricants

Autoworld Car 18 at the Pilatus checkpoint – the section that we won (the Gauntlet)

Autoworld CAR 18 racing down the Rock face to win the Gauntlet! Picture by Cassandra Green

As mentioned above, we didn’t have enough time to complete the car and fully test it before the race. And this cost us the race! Unfortunately, an hour before the race began, on our way to a checkpoint, we hit into a tree stump which severely damaged the steering rod. We managed to dismantle the part during the race and temporarily fix it. But not having the under vehicle protection fitted was the problem. It wasn’t long before the steering rod was bent with rocks. This in turn caused strain against the driveshafts, and one of them eventually snapped completely. This left us with a vehicle with no 4WD when we needed it most. We put our heads together as a team and decided to at least complete the Gauntlet section and ensure we won one prize. We all sadly knew that we would not be completing the full race given the condition of the car at that point.

The Autoworld / TJM Treasure Hunt Trophy

Autoworld and TJM Australia each year sponsor the Elephant charge Treasure Hunt Trophy. There is a great prize to be won with this trophy - a 9500lb TJM winch! In order to win this prize a team must complete all the checkpoints of the course. At each checkpoint the team will receive a number which is part of the full coordinates leading to a peg hidden in the bush somewhere around the course.

The first team to get the full set of coordinates and find the peg wins the prize. The Hot Clutch team won the trophy last year, auctioning their newly acquired winch at the event. (All proceeds from the auction were given to one of the conservation beneficiaries.)

Team in action! Picture by Cassandra Green

For all the final results of the 2018 Elephant charge, click here

Sponsorship Appreciation

I am so grateful for all the support, sponsoring the team so well that we were able to reach a great milestone last year with a new vehicle. Over and above that we were still able to raise a significant amount of money to come in at third place for money raised. Every bit counts and we all know the threat that wildlife and natural reserves face today. I am always thankful to be able to play my role in raising money for this great cause.

2019 Focus

For 2019 my focus is to fully complete the vehicle in good time and ensure all the hurdles and teething problems are attended to beforehand. This will enable us to finally finish the race and  hopefully get some better results. Most importantly as a team we want to strive for the first place for money raised - the most important prize of them all. With the continued support of our sponsors, I hope to achieve this goal. If we complete the shortest distance as well then that will be the cherry on the cake!

Thanks to everybody who played a part in this event from sponsors, to mechanics and team members. You all did a great job.

I feel really blessed as we prepare for a great 2019 Elephant charge coming up on 28th September 2019.

David Findlay, Autoworld Team Rally Captain

For more details about the Elephant charge, visit the official Elephant charge website www.elephantcharge.org

Photo Gallery

The new vehicle based on 80 Series chassis and 45 Series cab

Team Autoworld winning - receiving the Gauntlet 1st prize

The Autoworld Team: Top row (left to right) - Johann, Owen, Pete, Ross; bottom row (left to right) - Frank, David

Balancing act during the race. The steering rod was bent and the car could not turn and almost overturned. Johann and Frank are keeping the four wheels on the ground while David reverses out

Thank you to all the sponsors:

A Christmas Eve to remember - by Annie Zulu

From left to right: Margaret Mali, Mark, Emmanuel, Joseph Mulenga. Andrew Malembeka, Moses and Annie Zulu

Joseph Mulenga has been a security guard at Autoworld for the last 10 years. He retired last month and was presented with parting gifts from Autoworld staff members. Everyone knows him as “Zemule”.

For many years Mr Mulenga has been part of Autoworld life, watching over the vehicles and outside premises, and helping around the fitment center with various jobs. He has always been helpful to members of staff; and on his retirement, some of the Autoworld team had the idea of buying him a Christmas present to say thank you. This was all in the spirit of giving around this festive season. The gifts were presented on Dec 24 2018, Christmas Eve. Joseph is a man of few words but we were happy to put a smile on his face. He did not expect this and it was a wonderful surprise for him. His present included a monetary gift and a Christmas hamper of assorted items.

Joseph Mulenga is a family man with five children and four grandchildren. He managed to build a house before he retired. We all wished him well at the presentation and urged him to continue to support his family.

Autoworld and the 2018 Labour Day celebrations

1st May is Labour Day, which is renowned internationally. In Zambia our theme for this year was ‘Building Partnerships for Sustainable National Development Through Job Creation and Social Justice’. With jobs having become so scarce, especially for the youth, this theme was very timely.
 
The Guest of honour was H.E. President Edgar Lungu who took the salute from the enthusiastic marching workers.

Autoworld had two employees awarded prizes - Ms Ruth Sakala , from Head Office, for honesty;  and Mr Isilimwe Mulambwa of Ndola branch, also for honesty. In addition, Autoworld won a trophy for coming second in the Float Category for the display on the Autoworld speed boat. Congratulations to everyone involved!

Autoworld and the Elephant Charge 2017

Autoworld’s vehicle ‘in camp’

David Findlay, our own intrepid off-road enthusiast, is a key member of the Autoworld Elephant Charge team each year. Here he gives his reflections on this year’s Charge: 

The 2017 Elephant Charge took place last weekend Oct 13th-15th. The charge was in a beautiful location along the Lutente River. The Autoworld team did well with fund raising and came out second place with USD17,000! The winning team Khal Amazi raised over USD22,500. In total over USD111,000 was raised which is a great big pat on the back to all the teams!
 
Unfortunately we gave the car another beating with the rough terrain and the radiator gave in with just two more checkpoints to go! That was game over for us! However on a positive note we won first place in the Gauntlet (for the third time). This is recognised as the most technical challenge of the whole course.

Many thanks to all our sponsors for their great support:
 
· GUD Filters
· Willard batteries
· Tracks 4 Africa
· Raylite batteries
· TJM
· Pratley
· Spanjaard
· Safeline brake pads
· Autoworld
 
We are now back to the drawing board and looking at a new strategy for 2018!

A bit of history

Team Autoworld has entered seven Elephant Charges since 2010, completing the course four times and raising $128,343 for conservation in Zambia.

The team's best leg was the Elephant Charge 2011 when they charged from Tyre King to Verino in 3.18km, 270m or 1.09 times over the straight line distance of 2.91km. They were 1st place out of 17 teams on this leg.

Autoworld have won several trophies over the years:
The Country Choice Trophy for shortest net distance 3 times (2012, 2014, 2015)
The Sausage Tree Trophy for the most money raised for conservation 2 times (2012, 2015)
The Castle Fleming Trophy for the shortest overall distance (2014)
The Bowden Trophy for the shortest distance on the gauntlet 2 times (2014, 2016)
The Sanctuary Trophy for the shortest distance on tsetse line 1 (2016)

More details on the 2017 Elephant Charge

28 entries raised $111,138 for conservation in Zambia. The Spirit of the Charge was won by The Bushpigs for their selfless conduct during and after the charge; the Properly Shafted award was won by Khal Amazi; and the award for the best checkpoint was given to Gospel Central. See the Elephant Charge website for full details.

Last but not least, ZNBC has made a great documentary of this year’s event. Watch out for it on the air over the next few days and weeks.
 

Stunning waterfall along the Elephant Charge route

Camp Autoworld at the 2017 Elephant Charge

’Straight Forward’ is the motto!

Autoworld and the Fuchs 2017 Elephant Charge

Content credit © https://www.elephantcharge.org/ 2017

The Fuchs Elephant Charge 2017 is just around the corner - it will be held on Saturday 14 October, and 30 teams have already entered.

“Team Autoworld has entered seven Elephant Charges since 2010. We’ve had a whole lot of fun and raised a total of $128,343 for conservation. And we’re already registered for the 2017 Charge!”

All about the Elephant Charge

The Elephant Charge is an extreme 4x4 event held annually, at a different location each year. It challenges teams of cars and motorbikes to complete a gruelling course through the Zambian bush. It raises considerable sums of money for conservation in Zambia, focussing on conservation through education. In the ten years since it began, the event has raised over $640,000 supporting 17 conservation organisations and projects. This has been distributed to conservation organisations working across the country.

On the day of the Charge, the winning team is the one that completes a course of ten checkpoints in the shortest distance possible within the allowed 8 hours. Given a map and with skill and determination, each team must find their own route between the checkpoints through valleys, over ridges, across rivers and up escarpments in a trial of driving, navigating and endurance.

A carefully guarded secret

The exact location of the Elephant Charge is a carefully guarded secret until the day before the competition when directions to the charge site are released. It’s only then that the Teams are told where to meet for sign-in and vehicle scrutineering, and receive directions to their camp sites.

Maps are issued to the teams on the evening before the race. The maps show the location and GPS coordinates of each of the ten checkpoints. Each team is also given - by random draw - a starting checkpoint. The Teams then frantically study their maps and pick their intended route, aiming for the shortest possible distance across the course while avoiding the chasms and peaks, and their own shortcomings. During the race, the teams must visit each of the ten checkpoints before returning to their starting checkpoint. Each team can visit the checkpoints in any order and in any direction they like.

The objective of the race

The Elephant Charge is about covering the terrain in the shortest possible distance and there are no prizes for speed. However, the race does have a time limit and, to be considered for the honours, each team must return to their starting checkpoint by 3pm on the day, having completed the course.

There are bush roads cut to each of the checkpoints and these are marked on the competitors maps. These roads never give the shortest distance but teams can use them if they are running short of time or are having trouble convincing their vehicle to carry on!

The Gauntlet and Tsetse Lines

Three of the checkpoints on the course are designated as the Gauntlet. These checkpoints are close together and include some extreme terrain. The Gauntlet allows the spectators to get close to the action and the teams to show off their abilities.

When the final results are calculated, each team's distance through the Gauntlet checkpoints is multiplied by three. This means it is especially important that teams aim for the shortest distance possible through the Gauntlet as it has a greater impact on their overall result.

There are two Tsetse Lines on the course which teams can decide to attempt. Each Tsetse Line is between two checkpoints where the shortest distance would be extremely challenging. There is a special prize for the shortest distance achieved on each Tsetse Line.

Team Autoworld 2016

Get involved with the Fuchs Elephant Charge 2017 on 14 October 2017

Support the teams or enter your own and take part in an extreme 4x4 event supporting wildlife conservation in Zambia.

The Fuchs Elephant Charge 2017 relies on the sponsors who support Zambia's largest conservation fundraising event with donations, in-kind assistance and helping out through the year and on the day of the event.

Autoworld at the annual 20/20 Cricket Tournament

Autoworld was present at the annual 20/20 Cricket Tournament hosted by Lusaka South Cricket Club. displaying a range of marine products. This tournament ran from 25th to 27th August 2017.

Autoworld has supported this event for a number of years, with a selection of boats and outboards becoming a focal point for both spectators and cricketers … particularly the kids.

Team Autoworld features in Zambia’s Labour Day 2017 celebrations

Autoworld was out in full force on Monday May 1st 2017 to support the Labour Day celebrations in Lusaka. Employees of Autoworld received several prizes, along with many other companies. Congratulations to all those who received awards as well as those who participated in the march past!

Vasco Siulapwa, a Salesman at Impala Service Station, receiving a Labour Day Award for being Hardworking from the Minister of Labour and Social Security Joyce Simukoko.
 

Autoworld/Impala was awarded a trophy for being second in the Best Marchers category. This really motivated the staff – they are keen to get the first prize in 2018!

All the prizes that were handed out at the Freedom Statue. On the extreme left is Vasco Siulapwa, a Salesman at Impala Service Station, who received a Labour Day Award for being Hardworking.  On the extreme right is Sepiso Mwikisa, a General Worker at Autoworld Main Shop, who also received a prize for being Hardworking. The two gentlemen were awarded a generator each for their hard work. Annabel Zulu, Autoworld’s HR Manager, is holding the trophy awarded for coming second in the Best Marchers Category.

Recent Autoworld training — Raylite batteries and Holts products

Raylite battery training

“Autoworld has recently added the Raylite brand to its range of batteries. We asked trainer Mr Eric Kets to come in to teach our salesmen all about these batteries.”

Raylite batteries are the first choice among South African Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), including Mercedes Benz, Toyota, Nissan, GM SA, BMW, Volkswagen SA, Renault, Ford, Nissan Diesel and MAN.

The team not only found out all about this new battery range, but also had some hands-on practice, naming the battery parts, dismantling and assembling a battery, and learning how to test a battery for power.

We also held a training session on Holts products. Mr. Phiri from Holts shared his knowledge to 12 of our salesmen. Glenn Findlay, Autoworld Director, encouraged the team to take advantage of the knowledge learned and put everything into practice. Certificates of achievement were issued at the end of the training.

The 12 certificate-holders proudly show of their certificates, with Glenn Findlay, Autoworld Director, and Mr Phiri of Holts.

Holts training workshop at Autoworld 12 July 2016

Holts training workshop at Autoworld with participants and David Phiri, the facilitator

Autoworld recently organised some product training for its staff. On 12 July, Holts professional David Phiri ran a training session for our salesmen, fitment centre staff and warehouse staff. Established in 1919, Holts is a global leader in the manufacture of superior car care products, for improved performance, appearance, repair and maintenance.

The training at Autoworld consisted of discussions around the range of Holts products, which are designed to help with vehicle performance and maintenance:-

• Holts release spray – for easy penetration and release of jammed, frozen or rusted nuts, bolts and other parts
• Holts engine and part degreaser – a cleaner for metal and plastic which quickly removes oil, grease , tar and dirt and is suitable for parts, tools, gearboxes and machinery in general
• Holts electrical contact cleaner – this removes dirt, dust, oil and grease and is suitable for circuit boards and components such as switches
• Holts EGR and Carb cleaner – this will improve engine performance and is a ‘must buy’ (EGR = Exhaust Gas Recirculation valve)
• Holts brake and parts cleaner – this really cleans brakes, calipers, drums, springs, clutches, wheel cylinders and plates, increasing performance efficiency
• Holts high performance Moly grease – now shocks can be protected from corrosion and shock-loading. With a very low co-efficient of friction, this excellent product reduces wear and tear in shocks. Also suitable for CV joints, universal joints and wheel bearings (Moly stand for molybdenum disulphide)
• Holts silicone spray – lubricates, protects and waterproofs rubber, nylon, plastic, metal and wood

Participants were advised to encourage customers not to go for cheap brands but choose the professionally-developed Holts products stocked by Autoworld.

Autoworld staff were grateful to management for organising this excellent training event in co-operation with Holts, to give them more knowledge to serve customers even better.

The Holts training workshop at Autoworld in session

Training on Caltex lubricants

To help give customers the best service possible, the Autoworld sales team were recently briefed on lubricants. This took place at the Caltex Lubricant Products training session held in the Autoworld Head Office Boardroom on 7th June 2016. The workshop was run by Mr Miti, the Managing Director of Universal Oil Marketing Company Ltd, which is the sole distributor of Caltex oils in Zambia.

Training covered the following:
•    The composition of lubricating oil
•    The functions of a lubricating oil
•    The different classes of lubricating oils
•    The jargon on the tin
•    The importance of recommending the correct oil to customers
The students learned that lubricating oil is composed of base oil + lubricating oil additive (LOA). To make grease, soap is added to this mix. They also learned that you can’t mix one brand of oil with another. It may compromise the life of the vehicle.

The Autoworld salesmen appreciated learning more about lubricants from Mr Miti. It has equipped them to advise customers even better and sell the right lubricants to them.

Autoworld Stars football news — from Brian Mununka, Team Co-ordinator

The intrepid Autoworld players on the night

Autoworld Stars squandered a two goal lead to succumb to a 3 - 6 defeat to UTH Doctors at the Olympia Youth Development Centre, Friday evening, 15 April 2016.
 
As the whistle blew to signal the start of the match, it took only a few minutes for the two teams to gain momentum as they both tried to win control of mid-field.

“Playing left back, Brian Mununka cut through the middle for a square pass to Andrew Malembeka who made no mistake slotting home the opener. ”

The Doctors piled so much pressure, but the Autoworld team managed to thwart their counter attacks. In no time, Brian set up Claude for the second goal of the night. Misheck had not completely recovered from malaria and had to pull out in the first few minutes. This left Andrew to do all the solo runs upfront.

“Towards the end of the first half, the Autoworld team was caught napping. Three goals were quickly scored by the Doctors as a result of some masterful play in mid-field. And so the first half ended 2 - 3 in favour of the Doctors.”

In the second half, Autoworld made a few changes but this somehow worked against the team, with some sloppy defending. This allowed the visitors to score another three quick goals to kill off the match. Nevertheless, the Autoworld team pushed throughout the second half to make amends. But they could not find the net until late in the game when Andrew scored his second goal of the night from the edge of the 18 yard box with a cool volley finish. 

“And so it ended 3 - 6 in favour of the Doctors. We’re looking forward to a re-match with the UTH Doctors’ team as they really gave us a good run! ”

UTH Doctors team - victors for a season

Engen, customer service and health and safety training provided to Autoworld staff

At Autoworld we recognise the value of regular training. We make an effort to constantly offer our employees the opportunity to improve and increase their knowledge through a variety of learning programmes. Here’s a couple of recent training events organised for Autoworld staff.

Drivers and support staff proudly display their certificates with Autoworld trainer Dr Davis Malembeka

Engen Lubricants training session

On January 15, 2016 we received a team of experts from Engen Petroleum Zambia to train our salesmen in Engen lubricants. Participants first learned a little background to Engen the company.

“With headquarters in South Africa, Engen is present in over 20 countries, and exports its products to over 30 more countries, mostly in Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands. ”

Petronas Lubricants International, is a major Engen shareholder and supplies Engen products to even more countries. Petronas also supplies Syntium products through Engen distributors. Syntium and Engen products are both made to the same high standard using the identical techniques that are tried and tested.

Our salesmen learned that Engen produces two types of lubricants:

1. Mineral oils - made from ‘crude oil’ that occurs naturally
2. Synthetic oils - man-made oils carefully engineered in laboratories using hydrocarbon as a raw material.

Synthetic oils are preferred by many engine manufacturers because of their improved fuel economy, wider operating limits and better wear protection.

The Engen trainers explained in depth about particular Engen products such as:

• Agritrac Super Universal
• Dieselube 700 Super
• Xtreme 5W-40
• Different multigrades

Participants were briefed on the importance of supplying customers with the right specification and quality of lubricant for their particular vehicle and usage. Oils are made to suit a particular engine or gearbox in terms of the year of make of the engine, type of fuel (petrol or diesel), and the required viscosity (depending on temperature). Quality lubricants will extend the life-span of the engine.

You can buy a full range of Engen lubricants at Autoworld branches throughout Zambia.

Training for drivers and support staff

Recently, Autoworld trainer Dr. Davis Malembeka also ran a training session. This was for Autoworld drivers and support staff covering the importance of having a positive professional attitude at all times. It covered important topics like customer service principles as well as health and safety at work. 

As usual, certificates of attendance were issued to all participants - something we all take great pride in.

Staff News - competition winners

We recently held a couple of in-house promotions: Best Spanjaard Salesman and Hardest Working Warehouse Storeman. Here are the competition winners.

1. Competition winner - Best Spanjaard Salesman

In April 2015 salesmen at Autoworld and its sister company Impala Service Station were set a challenge – to sell as many Spanjaard products as they could! Just to make the challenge worth fighting for, Spanjaard South Africa generously donated a smart phone. With such a great prize up for grabs, conversation amongst the salesmen centred on the great Spanjaard product range stocked across all Autoworld branches, as well as Impala Service Station.

For a whole month every salesman put in their best effort marketing Spanjaard. However there could only be one winner! The “man with a plan” for the month of April was Mr Lloyd Simwami, a key salesman at Impala Service station.  Well done Lloyd for this remarkable achievement!

Lloyd has worked for Impala Service Station for the last 8 years. Before taking up the role of salesman Lloyd was an impressive fuel attendant, the first face you would see on the forecourt. Now he sells, and has acquired a great deal of knowledge on a huge range of products.

2. Competition winner - Hardest Working Warehouse Storeman

The Autoworld warehouse at Head Office recently held a competition to award the hardest working employee in that department over a 15 week period. The warehouse is the heart beat of Autoworld and it wasn’t easy to choose a winner as everyone works hard. We used the following criteria to choose the one who most deserved to be in first place:

1. Identify the fastest moving items in your product range and make sure these items are fully stocked at all times
2. Notice any items that are damaged or defaced and have them removed or replaced
3. Spot items with bar-code errors and correct them
4. Regularly keep management informed about your stock

The winner was Mambwe Chanda, who walked away with a Samsung S4mini cell phone. 2nd place was Musa Mumba; and 3rd place was Paul Machwani. Many congratulations to Mambwe.

So what do we know about the winner? Mambwe Chanda, nick named ‘the walking computer’, joined Autoworld in 2001. He enjoys being part of the team that ‘keeps Zambia moving’. On receiving his prize he thanked management for recognising the hard work he puts in. He warned the rest of the warehouse team that he is ready to compete and win everything in the near future!

Let’s not forget that without team work all this would not be possible.

Labour Day 2015 - Autoworld participates

Friday 1st May 2015 was Labour Day - an annual public holiday celebrating the achievements of workers. The Labour Day 2015 theme was “Promoting National Economic Growth through job creation, Free collective bargaining and respect for workers rights.” The president HE Edgar Lungu was present during the celebrations, announcing a lifting of the wage freeze to give encouragement to employees across the country. Autoworld was part of the procession, with a good number of its staff taking part.

Labour Day awards

At this year’s ceremony, two of Autoworld's members of staff, Timothy Samugule and Charles Bowa, were given awards in recognition of their hard work and achievements.

Timothy Samugule has been a tyre fitter at Autoworld for the last seventeen years. He joined Autoworld head office in 1998 and was the first tyre fitter at the fitment centre under Mr. Smith’s supervision.

Charles Bowa from Autoworld’s Downtown branch is the longest serving member of staff there. He is an assistant in the warehouse, in charge of rims and tyres.

Timothy and Charles each received a generator as a prize, and went home smiling.

Autoworld's International Women's Day celebrations in 2015

2015 International Women's Day theme: Gender is my agenda, make it happen

Sunday 8th March was International Women’s Day, a day designed to give women all around the world confidence and joy through the celebration of women and their achievements. This year’s theme, ‘gender is my agenda, make it happen,’ applied to Zambian women in a more touching way because at present, women in Zambia are gaining momentum in holding positions of influence. Our Vice President Inonge Wina, Chief justice Ireen Mambilima and other women participating in national matters traditionally classed as ‘manly’ are certainly setting the standards for Zambian women of the future. On that Sunday morning Autoworld women joined events in Lusaka beautifully dressed in traditional Chitenge outfits.

International Women's Day celebration

The day was filled with singing and interaction as people marched from Muleya Basic School in Emmasdale to the National Heroes' Stadium. Although International Women’s Day is obviously about women, it was such an encouragement to have men from all walks of life support the event, including the President Mr. E. C. Lungu who graced the occasion at the stadium together with women from different political parties and organisations. We commend men who can honour our women and work with us to make this a more equal society that encourages Zambian women to do more and reach higher for the good of the country. And as Autoworld women might be few in number, working in an industry that is dominated by men, it was very encouraging to be one of the few in our sector to take part at this prestigious occasion.

A speech by the Minister of Gender

A speech was given by the Minister of Gender Prof Nkandu Luo. She bravely addressed an issue concerning abuse and gender based violence. Sadly, this continues to be a concerning matter in our country. Men, women, girls and boys are entitled to have equal rights under the laws of Zambia and the Human Rights Commission supports this noble and right cause.

Our International Women's Day experience

The International Women's Day occasion was a humbling experience and a well deserved break. It instilled the feeling of being appreciated as women in society. We would like to thank Autoworld management for the effort and help rendered towards the eventful day. In fact Autoworld continues to lead the way by being open to employing more women who would like to work in the automotive sector. It may take guts but success is there, as demonstrated by the inspiring Phanny who is our Workshop Supervisor at Downtown Fitment Centre. Indeed, ‘Gender is my Agenda, make it happen’. I am doing what I can to make it happen!

By Annie Zulu

Latest Autoworld Staff News

We as employers like to recognise the achievements of Autoworld staff and the value they bring to the company. Through the things we do as employers, we want to make a lasting impact on our employees, helping them feel part and parcel of the company and motivating them to be even more committed. The month of March was a busy but exciting month for us all. We had training with our team, a competition and two birthdays.

Pirelli Tyres Sales Training

We had the privilege of having some of our staff members undergo tyre sales training. There were 15 Autoworld participants from different departments. The trainers were a team of three who arrived in Zambia on 3rd March, 2015 to conduct the product and marketing session which lasted a day and a half. This training was held at Intercontinental Hotel.

The participants were trained on how to read tyres in terms of size, width, profile and even the rim size. They were also trained on how much pressure should be pumped into the tyre, making it easier for a salesman to immediately point out what a customer needs. At the end of the session participants from various organisations mingled, shared knowledge and took pictures.

Sales Staff Competition

In our quest to serve our clients better, we believe our Sales Staff are our ambassadors as they are the people who uphold the image of the company. In this regard, we introduced a competition to motivate and appreciate their hard work and contribution and to acknowledge the value they bring to the organisation.

We asked our sales team to be attentive and note down products that were not current stock items but could possibly be on demand. This information would come from customer requests at our sales counters.

The response was tremendous and we received very helpful feedback every day. Of course there can only be one deserving winner. As with many other competitions, this one came with a surprising winner, a man popular for controversy also known as the 'mad scientist.' Mr Arnold Chooka, a Senior Salesman walked away with the prize - a Samsung Galaxy S4 mini which was presented by Director Mr Glenn Findlay. Mr Chooka put in unprecedented effort which was jokingly described by the Purchasing Manager Mr. David Findlay as that of a 'moving computer.' Mr Chooka had a very good month as he also celebrated his birthday with his team mates on 20th March.