New design could stop the theft of motor vehicles
You only steal former mayor Mike Masina’s bakkie once. The second time, the joke will be on you.
Indeed, the apples did not fall far from the tree of the man who, during his tenure, successfully steered the municipality to the number one spot in South Africa.
His daughter, Nomawethu, and son, Nkosikhona, are equal forces to be reckoned with.
When “Mayor Mike’s” microbiologist daughter and metallurgy-artisan son heard that their father’s bakkie had been stolen from outside the Middelburg Hospital, they immediately sprang into action by tweaking an existing anti-theft design to stop the theft of motor vehicles.
The overseas design had to be adapted to fit locally manufactured vehicles, most notably bakkies and taxis.
Mr Masina visited the Middelburg Hospital on 10 February for a checkup after being discharged from hospital earlier for Covid-19 treatment.
He parked his Ford Ranger outside the hospital premises before spending two hours inside, thanking the doctors and nurses for the commendable treatment during his stay. Upon leaving, he saw that the bakkie had vanished.
After learning of their father’s ordeal, the Masina duo went online to see what was available abroad.
The anti-theft designs they found were unsuited for locally manufactured vehicles and had to be adapted, while import costs also made it untenable to pursue local distribution.
With Nkosikhona learning the tricks of the steel trade, Nomawethu saw an opportunity to manufacture their first pedal-lock prototype.
And it works!
“We just thought, Middelburg is the home of steel, so why not introduce new products produced and distributed locally to assist with reducing crime,” Nomawethu told www.mobserver.co.za this week.
While she’s the financial force behind the unnamed product, Nkosikhona is the muscle.
With the final prototype finalised, distribution interests have already flooded in from as far afield as Mbombela, Siyabuswa and Gauteng.
The pair are still thinking about a name for the product and say the concept will not be patented due to its similarities with existing products.
“Technology is wonderful, but unfortunately often trumped by manual devices,” they agreed.
