Petrolheads drawn to Shelly Beach for BMW motor vehicles

Thabo Makwakwa|Published 2 years ago

Some of the vintage cars were showcased at the BMW Supertech festival. Picture: Thabo Makwakwa

Durban - Slick new and old BMW motor vehicles rolled into Shelly Beach on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast for the annual two-day Supertech Torque Motoring Festival.

The event drew motoring enthusiasts and boosted tourism in the Ugu District Municipality.

Chairperson of the Supertech group Shabir Tayob said the event was part of brand building and entertainment for customers. Supertech, the largest BMW dealership group in KZN, celebrated the 50th anniversary of the BMW M-series.

“This event started two years ago and this year’s turnout was very encouraging. The surrounding community also benefited from the company’s existence on the South Coast because many people were employed by BMW in Shelly Beach,” he said.

In response to the devastation caused by the flood, he said: “We have provided various forms of relief to the people and continue supporting them during this difficult time.”

Sandile Dlomo, a board member of Ugu South Coast Tourism, said his agency had come to support the event and promote tourism in the area.

Chairperson of the Supertech group Shabir Tayob and Ugu South Coast Tourism board member Sandile Dlomo at the BMW Supertech Torque Motoring Festival. Picture: Thabo Makwakwa

“We are to celebrate the M brand and we are pleased to host them in our area. This is positive as we encourage customers to visit the Ugu South Coast for a lifetime experience.

“We also thank the Daily News for giving us this opportunity to reach thousands of readers who would like to visit our area. All we are expressing to the public is that the South Coast is open for tourism and safe to travel here,” he added.

Loyal BMW customer Rajan Venkadu has been dealing with Supertech for 20 years.

He said: “I’m happy to be part of this experience. All top-end brands the company introduces to the market are first brought to us as the loyal company and we always support them and buy their products. BMW has become more like a family business because all our family members and friends are now BMW fans and buy their cars all the time,” said Venkadu.

KwaZulu-Natal Tourism general manager Mpho Mbuli hailed the event and said that it reflected social cohesion.

“We saw various vehicles from all parts of the province. These types of platforms are crowd-pullers. Hopefully, it will grow into a global event that will bring people together. Most of the hotels were full as many people visited the Ugu district,” said Mbuli.

She added that KZN Tourism also showcased the winter product offerings available in the province.

Daily News