Inkampani yeemoto yaseMelika, uFord, ifince iminyaka elikhulu irhweba eMzantsi Afrika – esempelazwe kwizwekazi le’Afrika. Kwangaxeshanye, uFord wenze imbali ngokuvelisa inani elizizigidi ezine leenjini ezenziwe kwiziko lakhe lakhe eliphambili eliseGqeberha – elaqala ukusebenza ngonyaka ka1923. UFord, yenye yeenkampani ezinkulu ezifana noVolkswagen, Isuzu noMercedes-Benza, ezamilisela iintente zazo kwiphondo leMpuma Koloni eliphala phambili kwicala lokuvelisa iimoto ezithengiswa eMzantsi Afrika nakwizizwe zehlabathi jikelele. Le nkampani yaseMelika, eyaqala ukusebenza ngamakhulu amathathu abasebenzi, yabumba iinjini zayo zokuqala ezisebenza ixesha elide ukusukela ngonyaka ka1964 kwaye zange iphinde ibuye ngamva ukuzotsho kunyaka ka2023.
UFord, uphakathi kweenkampani eziphambili ehlabathini ezikhiqiza iimoto ezifana Volkswagen, Isuzu noMercedes-Benz, ezenza iimoto (eMzantsi) zithengiswe kumazwe ehlabathi. Zonke iinkampani zemoto ziintsika ezimise uqoqosho lephondo leMpuma Koloni engenayo imigodi yegolide njengamaphondo afana neGauteng neFree State. Abasebenzi abaqala ukusebenza kwaFord ekufikeni kwakhe bamnceda wafikelela kwinani elisisigidi leemoto ezibunjwe eMzantsi Afrika ngonyaka ka1976. Kanti elo nani beselikhule layokutsho kwizigidi ezithathu ngonyaka ka2013. Emva kokuhluma koqoqosho loMzantsi Afrika eminyakeni egqithileyo, naye uFord uye wakhula wade watshotsh’entla kwicala lokuvelisa iiveni ezomeleleyo nezintle.
Iziko likaFord eliseGqeberha likhule lade lazala elinye iziko elisePitoli kwiphondo laseGauteng – apho kuveliswa khona izigxadavu zeeveni ezifana neFord Ranger neVW Amarok ezithandwa kakhulu ngabantu baseMzantsi Afrika ngenxa yamandla ezinawo okumelana neemeko zeendlela ezingafaniyo. UFord wenze utyalomali olufikelele kwishumi elinesihlanu leebhiliyoni zerandi (R15-billion) ukuze kuveliswe uhlobo olutsha lweeveni zikaFord kwiziko lakhe eliseGauteng. Njengokuba uFord egqiba iminyaka elikhulu eMzantsi Afrika, uqhuba kakuhle nakwicala lorhwebo. Iimoto zakhe zivotelwe njengezinkqenkqeza phambili kwiminyaka egqithileyo ngenxa yomgangatho wazo ophezulu. Namhlanje uFord unabasebenzi abaqabele kumawaka amahlanu onke (5 000) eMzantsi Afrika.
ElaseTopiya lihamba phambili ngeenkomo eAfrika