Man's best friend may well be a Toyota bakkie

If you really want to know what man’s best and most reliable friend is, ask Dr Cedrick Nnzekiseni Mathoho of Tshiombo village, outside Thohoyandou. He reckons his most trusted companion is his 33-year-old 1988 model Toyota Hilux bakkie that has so far clocked 348 903 kilometres.

Mathoho said that he would be prepared to lose a lot of his possessions, but not this bakkie, which has been part of his life for many years. “There is no ‘for sale’ tag on the vehicle, but people keep on stopping me on the road, wanting to buy the vehicle. Some even visit me at home, but I never give in. One time it nearly got stolen at home, but the security measures that I have installed in the vehicle outsmarted the thieves.”

Armed with the original 2Y engine, Mathoho said that his workhorse came handy in his life as a farmer. “I have a field in which I produce vegetables, sweet potatoes and maize, which I sell to the public. I usually carry heavy loads after harvesting, but the vehicle does not show any sign of moving with hardship. I travel as far as Polokwane and Giyani to deliver my agricultural products, and the vehicle comes back home without any problems.”

Mathoho, who is also a respected clergyman, said that the vehicle also helped a lot when he had events in his church. “We never stress whenever we have events in church because we know that we have reliable transport. Despite its age, I never regret buying this vehicle because it has brought a lot of joy to me, the church, my family, and the local community.”

Some of the virtues of the vehicle are that maintaining it is easy and the fuel consumption is very low. “I make sure that it gets services at the required intervals. The vehicle is still in its original form and it was never modified. When there is something that needs attention, I only take it to an expert mechanic who fixes it. I don’t want it to be fixed by different people, because it might have an impact on its performance. This vehicle is so special that I handle it with care like a chicken egg.”

Date:28 March 2021

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