Devout Christian Duncan Mbhele knows what it
is to answer a calling, which is why he has found solace in the motor industry
on several occasions.
Every time the twice-ordained pastor has decided
to step away from the sector, he has been drawn back in – not quite kicking and
screaming, but certainly not of his own accord.
“I always wondered why God kept calling me. I
had to dig deeper to understand why,” the 59-year-old, who recently accepted
the position of senior sales executive at
Kelston Haval in Port Alfred, said.
“What I have come to understand, from a
Christian perspective, is that I should see sales as a means of discovering a
customer’s needs.”
“There have been times when he asked potential
buyers, who were clearly not in the best financial position, whether they
really needed a new car at that moment.”
It has been a journey for the man from
Kwagqugquma, a tiny village near Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal.
Growing up under apartheid in a household of
nine meant there was little spare cash at home, compelling him to leave school
early to find a job.
In 1987, Mbhele worked as a motorbike
messenger for a transport company, an experience that led to the 18-year-old’s first
foray into the motor trade – delivering parts for a Volkswagen dealership in
Pinetown.
From there he moved into hydraulics, first as
a storeman and later an external sales representative.
During this period, he returned to his studies
to graduate with qualifications in marketing and sales as well as business
management.
In 1994, he moved back into the auto sector as
a sales representative in the preowned market. Stints as a business development
officer at a vehicle-finance specialist and the hydraulics industry followed.
Spirituality has been a constant in Mbhele’s
life and in 2000 he was ordained as a pastor in Durban, which prompted him to
establish his own church.
That was when the Bible Society of South
Africa approached him to market its product in KZN. He was later asked to do
the same in the Eastern Cape, which brought him, his wife, son and nephew to
the Friendly City.
It was here that he was ordained for the
second time – at the Westside Christian Fellowship in Westering.
Word soon spread that he had settled in the
city and it was not long before a friend told him that a dealership specialising
in luxury vehicles was looking for a sales executive. He all but walked into
the role.
He took a sabbatical in 2015 to focus on his
ministry training but was back in the seat a year later selling VWs in Port
Alfred and Makhanda.
The travelling eventually took its toll and he
chose to step away, but fate would not hear of it. On the very day he was
packing up, he received a call from his former dealership in Gqeberha that led
to him rejoining the team until 2019.
For one reason or another, Haval’s arrival in
South Africa in 2017 had intrigued him. When the opportunity to sell these
vehicles arose four years later, he did not need to be jump started.
He found families for 72 units in his first
year.
At the end of 2021, early retirement beckoned
but this, too, would not last long after NGO Village South Africa asked him to
provide spiritual guidance at an orphanage in Alexandria.
He and his wife relocated to the small Eastern
Cape town where he eventually chaired the local spiritual crime prevention
forum while serving as vice-chair at district level.
This May he received a call from former
colleague Stephen Meyer, who asked him to sign on as a senior
sales executive at Kelston Haval.
“It’s like I have been called to this brand. I
even thought about it when I decided to retire,” Mbhele said.
“I think, for me, Haval covers the needs of
the Eastern Cape’s people. We have rough roads here and they only focus on SUVs
and pickups, which is perfect for the conditions in the province.”
Despite locals being extremely brand loyal, he
is relishing the challenge of making Haval known to the community.
“People just need to test-drive these vehicles,”
Mbehle, who still ministers at schools and other institutions, said. “They will
start talking about them and that’s how a brand grows.”
