How This Former Cleaner Became A Ford Dealer, Meet Thokozani Khumalo

The first time Thokozani Khumalo entered a dealership was as a cleaner. He has since worked himself up the ranks to achieve dealer principal status at Halfway Ford Port Shepstone.

When Thokozani Khumalo first stepped into a car dealership, it was as a cleaner.
He was subjected to severe bullying during his school life, but his resilience kept him going.

Khumalo has worked himself up from a cleaner to the sales department, and is now a dealer principal.
Thokozani Khumalo and his three sisters used to walk 10km to school and back. They were raised by his grandmother while their parents worked in Johannesburg and sent groceries via a delivery truck at the end of every month. Never had he imagined that his years of enduring bullying at school would one day see him become a dealer principal after starting his career in the industry as a cleaner.

Thokozani, hailing from Nquthu in northern KwaZulu-Natal, began his school life in his mother’s hometown in Daggakraal, Mpumalanga. He said he lived a good life despite the rural upbringing, and when compared to what his parents endured in their childhood.

Building wire cars was the norm while growing up in a township. “We didn’t have many toys back then, and building wire cars was a way of life. It’s what we did to pass the time,”

Thokozani tells me over the phone. He said it birthed the foundation of his aspirations long before he had even comprehended it.

Cars were scarce, but young Thokozani lived for the brief moments when three SA Brewery Nissan diesel trucks made their weekly visits to local taverns. Because there were no tarred roads, they would create massive clouds of dust and appeared to be driving really fast. He loved standing beside them as they were gigantic, but cars were his first love.

His father had a red 1995 Toyota Corolla. He still remembers the registration number – PJR228T – because it has a special place in his heart. The Nissan Skyline was the first real car he fell in love with. His favourite is still the generations-old VW Caravelle, better known as “ibhasi lomjolo” and his dream car remains a Rolls-Royce Phantom.

Like many, he was a victim of bullying, but was told that young boys were never to tell anyone about their troubles because they would be labelled cowards. And even when they did speak up, nothing ever became of their truths. The bullying continued, and he could do nothing about it, especially when he was always outnumbered.

He eventually moved to Johannesburg to live with his parents after they bought a house in Dobsonville Gardens, Soweto. The future looked bright for young Thokozani, but it was short-lived because after only a year in Soweto he was forced to change schools again because the bullying there was even worse. He said it was very bad. Finding the strength to go to school was impossible and led to him bunking class for weeks.

When his parents eventually realised he was skipping school, he was punished and forced to go back, only for the teachers, who were supposed to protect him, to turn on him. He often changed schools, and even dropped out entirely before searching for a school himself.

But, he made it through, despite more challenges in an unstable high school career due to protests. Things began to turn around when he became a student representative council leader. He eventually did business studies, but only managed to do his N3 and could not complete his N6 at the time due to financial constraints.

Thokozani only realised about a year ago how badly bullying had affected him. He recognised that he doubted himself at times and struggled with confidence, despite becoming a dealer principal through Ford South Africa’s development programme.

ford everest
Thokozani Khumalo says he is in love with the next-generation Ford Everest, and sees it as the perfect vehicle for him and his family.
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I had been chatting to Thokozani for weeks via email, learning more about his background and the man he had become. He has a fighting spirit and never gives up. When I called him late one evening for the first time, I had to hold back the tears as he shared the details of his struggles.

He could turn to no one for support. His parents did not understand his situation or know how to deal with it, and neither did he. For a brief moment, I heard a wave of sadness in his voice as the pain tried to knock him down. But even then, his perseverance and positivity kept shining through.

Thokozani is a simple man, and he says every situation is as simple as it is difficult. “Dealing with life, and even the impact of my upbringing, is like flipping a coin. You can either choose to be positive or let the negativity eat you up. I always try to be positive,” he said.

Family is what drives the 38-year-old father and husband and it’s his motivation to always do better and be able to leave a legacy behind. But how did his career in the motoring industry begin?

After completing a degree in business studies, Ford South Africa told us that Thokozani found employment first at a kitchen then a gym before entering a vehicle dealership for the first time as a cleaner.

“I was a temporary locker attendant at the gym across the road at Melrose Arch when BMW moved to its new and bigger premises, and they needed more cleaners. I applied, got the job and the rest is history,” he said.

Thokozani never dreamt he’d one day go from a cleaner to a dealer principal, but he was adamant about being a car salesperson.

His big opportunity in the motor industry came when he was offered a job at the dealership’s parts department. “My first role after the cleaning job was when I moved into the parts department. I had to learn fast as there were staff shortages. I took the initiative to learn as much as I could,” he says.

As the team got smaller, he took on more responsibility and devised more efficient systems. “I tend to thrive when I’m left on my own,” Thokozani says.

He adds:

That dealership evolved into a Ford dealer, and this is where I became service manager. Then one day, my manager walked into my office and asked if I would be interested in sales. Initially, I was reluctant to move, but after a short trial run – with the promise that I could return to my previous position if it didn’t work out – I never looked back.
He then accepted a job at another dealership as a service advisor, but had a growing desire to move to a smaller town. “That’s when I received a call asking if I wanted to join a dealership in Kokstad as a service advisor,” he said.

He has since graduated from a Management Development Programme that Ford offers to the dealer network.

“I eventually moved closer to home in my first post as a dealer principal at a tiny branch. I’m now in the South Coast at Halfway Ford Port Shepstone, and things are only getting better,” he says.

“Now, my blood is blue,” says Thokozani. “What I love most about being part of the Blue Oval is the people I work with, and the fact that the brand is so innovative – we’re trendsetters. I currently drive a 2.0-litre Ranger Wildtrak, but my heart is set on the new next-generation Everest SUV because I am a family man.”

He doesn’t know how he’ll do it, but Thokozani dreams of reaching out and starting an organisation for young men one day, to teach them about life choices and that what we see isn’t necessarily what we have to live.

Thokozani says the education system fails the young people of South Africa miserably.

So does the government’s plan to fight gender-based violence as they should start at grass-root levels as they can’t just stop it overnight by more stringent sentencing.

His message to SA’s young people is this: “If there’s one thing on this planet that doesn’t exist, its limits. If you want something hard enough, go for it. You may fail, but don’t stop; continue until you get what you want. Someone will hear you; someone will see your attempts. Keep moving forward; that’s all that counts. Whatever you do, do it the best you can.”

I asked him what he would tell 10-year-old little Thokozani.

He says: “Work harder, never give up. Forget the noises outside, and don’t let your temper get the best of you. You’re doing good, little fella, even if no one tells you that you are.”

Thokozani Khumalo has more resilience than he’ll give himself credit for.

And after all he has been through, he’s always picked himself up and kept trying to get on with life. We could all take a page out of his book and keep a smile on our faces, even when we’re served a whole bunch of lemons.

Source:News24.com

Email: elora.akpotosevbe@yahoo.com