ROSSLYN, PRETORIA – Nissan South Africa (Nissan SA) has consolidated its relationship with the Executive Mayor of Tshwane's office by renewing its vehicle agreement, first instituted in 2004. The 2007 vehicle agreement provides the present mayor, Dr Gwen Ramokgopa, with a Nissan Pathfinder to expedite her duties when travelling to the rural reaches of the City Of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (CTMM). These rural areas have been identified as nodes of economic development in the CTMM's five-year plan to provide residents with a better quality of life.
In handing over the vehicle today, Nissan SA Managing Director Julio Panama said: "When Council approached us to continue providing a vehicle for the Executive Mayor's office, we had no hesitation in making available an offroad vehicle, whose features will allow Mayor Ramokgopa to reach communities living in remote and inaccessible areas of the municipality. We trust that it will prove invaluable in assisting her office achieve the social and economic development of the people of Tshwane."
Accepting the vehicle, Mayor Ramokgopa said she was encouraged that the private sector was involving itself in social and economic issues which government alone could not address.
"If we are to make an impact on the lives of our citizens, it will be through collaborative efforts such as this one. I salute Nissan SA for assisting our efforts towards the municipality's social and economic rejuvenation, which we believe is possible with all stakeholders working towards a common goal."
Job creation is a key element in CTMM's local economic growth and development strategy and an area in which Nissan SA is already playing a role, providing as it does employment to 3 057 people from the immediate and surrounding vicinities of its manufacturing plant in Tshwane's Automotive Hub. To provide further work opportunities, evidence of its commitment to corporate social responsibility, Nissan SA will investigate other partnership opportunities with the Executive Mayor's office. It has already looked at the possibility of identifying suitable candidates for the company's student scheme from the municipality's database of unemployed graduates.
Under the terms of the vehicle agreement, signed today in a Memorandum of Understanding between Nissan and the Executive Mayor's office, Mayor Ramagkope will have the exclusive use of the vehicle, valued at R437 500, to execute official duties for a period of nine months effective immediately or until the vehicle has travelled 30 000 kilometres. The mayor's office will also be responsible for vehicle insurance while in its possession.
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