Mandela’s BMW recounts the funny story of the ex-President’s loan car

The former head of strategic organizing and public affairs at BMW South Africa and friend of Double Apex, Chris Moerdyk recounts the humorous tale of President Mandela’s prolonged exam push of a BMW 7 Sequence.

In the early 1990s, my career as head of strategic setting up at BMW South Africa became a minor additional essential than pretty ‘strategically’ setting up to just come about to be in the neighbourhood of St Andrew’s in Scotland close to about the time the Open up Championship was currently being performed. Or, seeking to develop a 5-yr approach with out really understanding what the social, political or economic environment was heading to be like by tea time the pursuing working day.

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A new SA

Anyway, an significant component of our company strategic system in those people days centred all over the gentleman who was heading to turn out to be the new president of South Africa. On just one hand, it did not acquire rocket science to know that underneath his management South Africa would prosper. As a outcome multi-nationals this kind of as BMW would be capable to start exporting from this region at very long past.

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But, there was also a relatively chilling fact that in the heated develop-up to the 1994 elections. There would be some people in South Africa who would not want to see Mandela as president. Therefore, the prospect of his assassination could not be discounted. So, in the passions of the long run of South Africa and to avoid the collapse of small business by means of this form of calamity, we decided that it was considerably also unsafe for Mandela to just be pushed all over in an standard vehicle.

Bulletproof Beemer

We attained authorization from the head office in Germany to give him an armoured BMW 7 Sequence. It was complete with bullet-resistant windows and bodywork. I had its own oxygen source and operate-flat tyres. It even has gun ports as a result of which his bodyguards could adhere two machine guns stored in a tiny compartment earlier mentioned the sunlight visors and blast any attackers to kingdom occur.

At the time, we phoned Cyril Ramaphosa who explained thanks for the gesture. Regrettably Mr Mandela could not potentially settle for the reward of a car or truck. He additional that these types of a auto would most likely have to be purchased for him when he was President. But, in the meantime, he would just have to make do with the car or truck he experienced. We strategised a little bit extra and phoned Cyril yet again. I recommended that if the governing administration was going to acquire him an armoured vehicle when he was president was it not a good thought for him to at the very least have a test drive?  Ramaphosa reluctantly agreed and a date was set up.

Serving the persons

So, about a yr ahead of the elections a colleague and I delivered the armoured Beemer to Nelson Mandela at his home in Houghton, Johannesburg. It was early early morning and he had, a few several hours previously, returned from a go to to the Much East. He and Cyril Ramaphosa been given us with friendliness and tremendous hospitality.

I was available tea and stood up to get it from a tray on the sideboard. Ramaphosa stopped me and said that he would pour my tea for the reason that the ANC essential to get applied to serving individuals. (Anything Mr Zuma and his cohorts subsequently forgot about completely.) But, at the time it was rather exceptional to be in a room with two of the most humble nonetheless charismatic guys I have at any time met in my everyday living.

Out of business office

For the following 12 months, BMW’s strategic strategy was for me to be out of the business office. I was usually engaged each time somebody from the ANC would phone to request when we needed Mandela’s BMW back again from the examination drive. As it turned out it was the longest check drive in motoring background. We felt definitely no regret for our trickery. We reckoned that nearly anything that could hold the good person protected was thoroughly justified.

I fulfilled Cyril a couple occasions after that and ongoing to be impressed. Predominantly by his potential to listen to the folks around him in social scenarios. He undoubtedly produced me sense that he was intrigued in what I was expressing. He is, with no a question, just one of the world’s very good fellas.

Visuals: BMW and Mike Monk/Franschhoek Motor Museum