In half the usual time that it takes to set up such an operation, Toyota SA has commenced assembling the popular Ses’fikile model at its Prospecton, Durban plant.

This is an aftermath of a request made by the government imploring Toyota to start making the minibus taxi in South Africa once again, CEO Johan Van Zyl said on Friday.

After the first phase of the project, Toyota will be able to supply 15,000 Ses’fikile units to the Southern African market annually, surpassing an initial production volume estimate of 10,000 units.

While commenting, South Africa’s Trade and Industry Minister, Rob Davies noted the role of the government to the success of the project. “The government helped by being flexible enough to allow the automotive investment scheme toinclude semi- knock -down vehicle assembly, as opposed to only complete-knock -down assembly,” he said.