Motor Company of Botswana
| Motor Company of Botswana (Pty.) Ltd. | |
|---|---|
| legal form | Propriety Limited |
| founding | 1997 |
| resolution | 2000 |
| Seat | Gaborone , Botswana |
| Branch | Automobile manufacturer |
Motor Company of Botswana (Pty.) Ltd. was an automobile manufacturer in Gaborone , Botswana .
history
The company was co-founded by Billy Rautenbach, a wealthy businessman from Zimbabwe who also owned Wheels of Africa , a large freight company. Hyundai Motor Company , however, only supplied the CKD kits from which Hyundai models were made. At times finished vehicles were imported from Mozambique, dismantled, reassembled and exported to South Africa in order to benefit from considerable tax advantages compared to direct imports to South Africa.
In 2000 the company - together with the Swedish Motor Corporation at the same location - went bankrupt with high outstanding debts. In the evaluation, the activity of the owners was particularly criticized.
The plant ended up employing 600 or 900 people.
Around 7,000 vehicles had been manufactured in two years.
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Hyundai Gaborone plant for Kimberley , in News24 of November 8, 2000.
- ↑ a b c United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (ed.), Investment Policy Review: Botswana , New York 2003
- ↑ John Boley: The Rise And Fall Of Billy Rautenbach. How a South African entrepreneur challenged the establishment - and lost , in: Automotive News from March 1, 2000.
- ^ Roman Grynberg: Botswana's 5.2 billion Rand subsidy to the South African automobile industry , in: Sunday Standard of August 18, 2014.
- ^ Job losses follow Hyundai liquidation , in: IRIN of January 18, 2000.