Premier car dealership Lindsay Saker Bloemfontein’s reputation as a master in the automotive retailer industry continues. This blaze of excellence is embodied by two members, Andre du Preez (sales executive) and Ryno Swiegelaar (service manager), winning some of the prestigious awards at the VW Grand Prix Dealer Awards.
This year’s ceremony of the annual event was held in April and recognised the contribution of 72 outstanding members of the Volkswagen dealer network, across 17 distinct categories. The awards recognise the performance delivery for the 2024-’25 financial year.
Lindsay Saker Bloemfontein’s pair, Swiegelaar and Du Preez, raised their dealership’s flag high.
This is for their contribution to the home of trusted brand vehicles, which includes Lindsay Saker, Audi Centre, as well as the pre-loved departments VW MasterCars Centre, Motus Select Centre, and Audi pre-owned. Clients at the centre of it all
Swiegelaar scooped three service accolades during the Grand Prix Awards, these being the coveted Golden Circle Club Warranty Award, the Golden Circle Service Manager Award, and the Golden Circle Service Manager of the Year Award.
“Pride and passion for the people inspires me. Customer satisfaction goes a long away – you need to evaluate yourself and strive to be best, ensuring you keep your customers happy.
“As for customer experience – they need to be happy. That is what works for me all the time, and it gives me a peace of mind and satisfaction,” says Swiegelaar.
With experience that spans decades, Swiegelaar dedicates this milestone to teamwork toward a common goal.
“For as much pride as these achievements make me feel, not all of it is thanks to me. The people who are doing the job every day, all the acclaim should go to them.
“These awards are the product of a combined effort. This is not a one-man show. This is team effort – from the person doing the booking, technicians, to service advisor and the foreman running the workshop,
“I am nothing without my team members. They need help from me and they need my back-up. In turn, I can lead them and know that they can and are doing the actual work,” says Swiegelaar.
Du Preez walked home with the Mastercars Sales Executive of the Year award in category A.
This is his second time winning this coveted award, having last won it in 2023.
This recognition is evidence of Du Preez’s passion to putting the interest and needs of the customer first, and rendering quality post-sale service to customers.
He strongly believes that customer satisfaction is key to acquiring one’s expertise in the car dealership industry. Du Preez has established himself as a master in dealing with pre-owned cars.
“The awards are amazing. This hard, hard work is paying off and that is the main thing. Winning some of the top awards amongst all the dealerships in South Africa is amazing, especially with this being my second time in just the two years of my full-time service in the industry.
“Under the brand of Mastercars, there is a certain criteria to ascertain that the vehicles we sell are of great quality. There is value for one’s money for every vehicle we sell at Mastercars,” says Du Preez.
