BY FIDELITY MHLANGA and TAURAI MANGUDHLA
SOUTH African electric vehicle firm, Agilitee Africa, which recently acquired a Zimbabwean electric vehicle dealership, is spreading its wings in the Southern African region after selling a dealership licence to a Swaziland private company.
Owned by South African business mogul Mandla Lamba, Agilitee sold its licence to Clivegreen Private Limited, a green energy Swazi-based company to distribute electric vehicles in that southern African nation.
Clivegreen CEO Bonani Mtetwa told Newsday that the deal was necessitated by the need to join the global bandwagon of embracing green energy as the use of electric cars would go a long way in reducing the fuel import bill and greenhouse emissions that damage the environment.
“May I encourage countries to quickly adapt and adopt this positive change. These EVs being one of them. Climate change impacts on everyone. This includes both developed and less developed countries. The green economy movement is here to stay, in an effort to improve our atmosphere and climate change conditions,” Mtetwa said. “Let’s embrace the change and the challenge knowing the greater good that lies ahead. We need to take care of the planet for the sake of our kids. Some of us have lived the better part of our lives, what legacy will leave for our kids in terms of the planet,” Mtetwa said.
Mtetwa highlighted that notwithstanding the costs, the company bought the license to position itself in the market.
“Agilitee is one of a kind company that dared to change where and when others are at ‘comfort zone’ in a changing environment, or are taking infant steps. Agilitee recognised an opportunity for Africans and the rest of the world before others did. We, as a company, identified with that vision. Of course when you are the first, you also bear the bigger costs, such as infrastructure costs for the charging/battery swapping stations. But the benefits are great because as the ‘first’, you get to position yourself well in the market. By the time others ‘wake up to the need for change you are already well established. They will definitely come to you for the solution, in this case, the EVs,” Mtetwa said .
Lamba said the adoption of Agilitee electric vehicles will ride on the use of green tech that include solar thus by passing the power shortages that has become a perennial challenge in the region.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
“The business model does not require a lot and does not need electricity 111 to charge it, you can charge using solar, we have solar power which is a green tech,” he said.
Meanwhile Lamba challenged successful black entrepreneurs to be at the forefront of channelling development in Africa in order to bring positive change in the region.
“You have a billionaire, it might be Bill Gates, and he gives half of his money to mankind or many people to help them and the problems they are facing. But you get a billionaire from the black community, the only thing that he does is to uplift his family and he leaves the community broken, no schools developed where he grew up, he is reluctant to go back to the community where he comes from, that what we need to kill in our people so I am just teaching them to be billionaires who care for the community they come from,” Lamba said.
“ This development comes after Agilitee Africa, last month acquired 90% shareholding in the Zimbabwean EVs dealership, Zimtorque in a cash-and-share swap deal.
Zimtorque boss Tanaka Kutama has moved to join Agilitee’s parent company, Lamba Automotive, as chief operating officer.
The transaction resulted in a name change with Zimtorque being renamed Agilitee Zimbabwe (Pvt) Ltd .The company is set to officially unveil mobility dealerships in Harare and Bulawayo in July followed by a manufacturing plant creating 700 jobs in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe has also become a major attraction following an influx of lithium battery miners recently, where over US$300 million has been earmarked for sinking shafts to extract the lucrative mineral and ship it abroad.
