South Africa boasts a rugged beauty that often leaves international visitors spellbound – from its expansive landscapes, world-famous game reserves and stunning beaches to its spectacular mountain ranges and thrilling action and adventure spots. More recently, South Africans themselves have been getting out to explore and rediscover more of Mzanzi, and in the process helping to boost a tourism sector that has been battered hard over the last two years. 

But roads further off the beaten track can be a lot trickier, especially dirt or gravel stretches that are often not mapped on Google Street View. This can leave travellers and adventurers unprepared for the road conditions they will encounter. 

Iconic tyre brand Dunlop has risen to this challenge yet again, with a second take on its award-winning Grandtrek Uncharted expedition. The mission: to go once again to places Google hasn’t been. 

Launched in late 2020 as a way of showcasing the proverbial road less travelled, the Grandtrek Uncharted expedition spanned all nine provinces, as modern-day explorers Peter van Kets and Jacques Marais sought out uncharted roads far from the beaten track that could be added to Google Street View using a special 360-degree camera. 

In 2021, Grandtrek Uncharted Phase 2 is zooming in on two of SA’s coastal provinces, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape, taking 10 travellers on shoreline voyages fit for the coast-loving 4x4, off-road or outdoor enthusiast. 

“South Africa is well-known for its 4x4 routes and rugged terrain, but many of these routes have entire sections that aren’t mapped because the terrain is too rough. That’s why we’re once again setting out to map these well-known routes and encouraging consumers once again to get out there and explore,” says Lubin Ozoux, CEO of Sumitomo Rubber South Africa, which manufactures the Dunlop brand in Africa. 

Thanks to Grandtrek Uncharted, travellers and tourists will now be able to find a few well mapped out roads in and around some of the country’s most spectacular gravel passes along the coast - from Bosluiskloof Pass, the Swartberg Pass and Gamkaskloof (a.k.a. Die Hel) in the Western Cape, to the oNgoye Forest, Gwahumbe and Sani Pass in KZN. “These routes might be rough – but they’re definitely not rough enough for Dunlop’s Grandtrek tyres, which enable you to tame any terrain,” says Ozoux. 

Joining Dunlop Grandtrek on the adventure are prolific photographers Mike Eloff (@lifeofmikeza), and Kieran Allen (@kierranallen), travel blogger Shelley Ferreira (@travel_blogged) and digital creators Durbanite Official (@durbanite_official), Kabelo Lelo Dladla (@mamiwiththedreads), Amber Kelly (@firsttimemamma), Tebogo Ramaselele (@tebogo_ramaselele), Marcella (@marchi_x), Boipelo Bokaba (@uncleboipelo) and Jodi Sardinha (@jodisardinha). 

Keen to tag along for the journey? Follow these accounts on social media, or take in the Grandtrek Uncharted 360-degree footage uploaded to the Google Street View platform. To view the footage, as well as the destinations visited, visit www.grandtrek.co.za

This International Literacy Day, celebrated globally on 8 September, iconic tyre brand Dunlop will be sharing the joy of reading with South African families in partnership with NGO, Book Dash. International Literacy Day coincides with South Africa’s National Book Week celebrated from 6 to 12 September, and highlights the importance of literacy as a matter of dignity and human rights, with the goal to create a more literate society. 

South Africa is not considered a reading nation. The vast majority of the country’s school children still have inadequate literacy resources at home and in their communities. While there have been improvements in recent years, the country continues to underperform relative to the literacy levels of most other middle-income countries. Families, and not only schools, are considered important in shaping the literacy journey of the nation’s children. 

This is why, on the evening of Wednesday, 8 September at 19h00, South African families are invited to tune in to Dunlop’s livestream reading of four South African bedtime stories read in four of the country’s official languages. What’s more, viewers can also pay it forward by making an easy Zapper or EFT donation of R30 to Book Dash, which Dunlop will match, to get books into the hands of kids who need it most. 

Dunlop’s livestream event will be hosted on its YouTube channel and will see special guests and Dunlop employees reading stories by South African authors in English, Afrikaans, isiZulu and Setswana. 

Lubin Ozoux, CEO of Sumitomo Rubber South Africa, which manufactures the Dunlop, Falken and Sumitomo tyre brands, said, “This is our way of bringing South African families together safely to share in the joy of reading. As a local nonprofit that is passionate about tackling the challenge of low literacy levels in South Africa, Book Dash is an ideal partner to help us in this pursuit.” 

Earlier this year, Dunlop sponsored 700 Book Dash books to be distributed to needy children and is now calling upon its employees and extensive dealer network to support its mission to kickstart the literacy journeys of South African children. 

Igniting a love of reading 

Lending his uplifting perspective to the Dunlop livestream event for International Literacy Day will be proudly South African musician, Majozi, who will read the story of Lory Dory, written by Brendon O’Neill. “Some of my fondest memories growing up, involved reading. Whether it was discovering new words or new worlds, reading was and still is, an integral part of my creative foundation starting from a very young age. Reading is so important for the minds of our children,” he said. 

Also joining in will be Dr Nokubonga Khoza of Durban, reading a Zulu Book Dash bedtime story, Little Ant’s Big Plan, written by Candice Dingwall.  Completing the line-up are Dunlop employees Itumeleng Majofi and Eugene Oosthuizen who will read Tortoise finds his home, in Sesotho, written by Maya Fowler and Lesedi’s Sandbox, in Afrikaans, written by Mathapelo Mabaso. 

Research shows that children who love reading typically excel at school and go on to become constructive members of society. However, as it stands, eight out of every 10 South African children cannot read properly. This is largely due to not having access to quality, culturally relevant reading material in their home languages.  The inability to read makes a lifelong impact, hitting the brakes on how far these children can go in life. 

With education as a key pillar of Sumitomo Rubber SA’s corporate social investment strategy, the company supports two Ladysmith schools with learning materials, mentorship and careers days, and recently partnered with Book Dash to create the Dunlop “Are we there yet?” podcast which offers captivating locally inspired audio stories and is available on the Dunlop MyTyres app and other podcast platforms. 

Each year Book Dash gathers creative professionals who volunteer their time, skill and passion over a 12-hour day to speedily create culturally relevant books, in South African languages and distribute them to underprivileged children. Volunteers include professional writers, illustrators, designers, photographers, technical and art directors, and storytellers. Since 2014, Book Dash has created more than 100 books and distributed more than a million copies to children, with the goal of putting 100 books into the hands of every child under the age of five.

In honour of Women’s Month in August, we’re highlighting the significant contributions of women as the driving force behind creating safer experiences on the road. Those who believe they can change things for the better and do just that. 

To celebrate these phenomenal women, Dunlop has created a ‘Women driving the world forward’ website showcasing those who’ve steered the automotive sector to success, from early inventors of prominent car safety features that continue to save lives every day, to present-day, women-owned South African businesses and the company's own employees driving society forward. 

Lubin Ozoux, CEO of Dunlop tyre manufacturer, Sumitomo Rubber South Africa (SRSA), said, “We as a brand are delighted to celebrate the strength and resilience of women, not just this month but always. Women have made outstanding contributions to our sector that are often unheard of. From the woman who helped us take to the road safely, to the modern-day pioneers driving change in our own company, this Women’s Month is a great opportunity to celebrate their continued impact.” 

The Dunlop ‘Women driving the world forward’ campaign highlights how women were behind a number of important safety features, from brake pads invented in 1888 by Bertha Benz, wife of the founder of Mercedes Benz, to windscreen wipers invented by Mary Anderson in 1903. The first mechanical indicator and brake signal were invented in 1914 by silent-film star, Florence Lawrence, while closer to Dunlop’s own world, Stephanie Kwolek, a chemist, invented the lightweight Kevlar® polymer fibre in 1965 that is stronger than steel and used to make resilient, puncture-resistant tyres. 

The tyre manufacturer is also showcasing women-owned Dunlop dealerships and the women breaking new ground and achieving success in their fields of expertise within Dunlop’s own business, from factory engineering, to HR, Marketing, Finance and more. 

Dunlop believes in making a valuable contribution in rebuilding South Africa and it starts with supporting small businesses, as they play an integral role in our economic success. The Dunlop ‘Women driving the world forward’ campaign was, therefore, conceptualised with this in mind. Through this campaign, four small, women-owned businesses who represent safe travel and female empowerment, will be supported and given the platform to grow, with Dunlop encouraging its own employees and community to further support these start-ups by using their services, donating or purchasing their merchandise. 

They include Nakita Naee'lah Dellwaria and Chloe Homer, who in 2020 launched Safe Space, a female-run start-up that maps Gender Based Violence hotspots and enables the public to report any GBV incidents. These reports are fed onto a live map where they can be accessed by the public, empowering them with knowledge on the safety of an area. 

Dunlop is also supporting Palesa Mashinini, who in 2019, started Secanity and began selling its Woke keychain alarm. When activated, this alarm produces a 140-decibel alert which radiates up to 200 meters, allowing women to draw attention to themselves in emergency situations.  

Also receiving support from Dunlop is ParkUpp, started in 2016 as a digital platform that enables drivers to find and rent safe parking spaces while empowering the owners of these parking bays to earn an extra income by renting them out.  

In the spirit of Women’s Month, Dunlop has donated R10 000 to each of these three businesses to show its support. 

Rounding up the list is Ladies Own Transport Services (LOTS), a taxi service started in the Cape Flats by Joanie Fredericks, where taxi drivers are all female, trained in self-defence and fetch passengers from safe locations.  Joanie is also behind an all-female driving school to protect women against unwanted advances by their instructors, ensuring they go on to become independent members of society. This Women’s Month, Dunlop has donated tyres for three of LOTS’s company vehicles so that they can continue empowering women. 

You can visit the Dunlop Women website and celebrate the women driving the world forward.

Bargain hunters beware: If a deal looks too good to be true, that ad on social media or online classifieds sites could actually be showing off goods stolen during the looting frenzy that took place in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng this month.

Sumitomo Rubber South Africa (SRSA), manufacturer of the Dunlop tyre brand, said its Durban Westville warehouse was invaded unlawfully and vandalised on Sunday, 11 July 2021 – and the company is aware that much of the stolen passenger and motorcycle tyre stock is now being sold online. In videos circulating on social media, groups of unidentified individuals were seen making off with tyres in the warehouse.

Lubin Ozoux, CEO of SRSA, said, “The loss in stock and assets is estimated to be approximately R90m with 70 000 tyres stolen from our own warehouse from an estimated total of 140 000 tyres known to have been looted from across the tyre manufacturing chain. However, there will be a substantial impact not only for the Dunlop business but for the entire value chain, including employees, the community and the supply chain.”

“We strongly condemn these illegal actions. Looted commodities are being offered at prices much lower than the normal pricing on numerous social media posts. This is a clear indication that these items have been looted. We do not support, under any circumstance, the purchase of goods from anyone other than reputable manufacturers and suppliers,” he added.

Those who know or suspect the possession of looted tyres can report this anonymously to the Looted Tyres Hotline on (011) 418 3056 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Nduduzo Chala, Managing Executive of the South African Tyre Manufacturers Conference (SATMC) said the organisation stands in support of its members Sumitomo Rubber South Africa, Bridgestone SA, Continental Tyres South Africa and Goodyear South Africa.

“As the tyre sector value chain, let us stand together and fight the criminality witnessed. The tyres looted are already being sold on the streets and on social media platforms. We urge customers not to support this and for tyre fitment centres not to fit loose tyres without valid proof of purchase. Together we can stop the cycle of criminality,” he said.

The National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure (NatJOINTS) co-chaired by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), South African Police Service (SAPS) and the State Security Agency (SSA) has also issued a warning to those who were not part of the looting spree but are buying stolen property from the looters that they too, will be arrested for being in possession of stolen property.

Socio-economic losses

Businesses across the board have been brought to their knees by the widespread theft, vandalism and arson – from informal traders to large retail chains. The economic impact of the anarchy and destruction will be massive, in a country which was already grappling with low economic growth and alarmingly high unemployment levels.

Many will lose their livelihoods as businesses, big and small, are unable to continue operations. Supply chains have already been affected and many are struggling to access basics such as food, household essentials and medication.

“Thieves prey on people looking for the best price. At a time that there is such a large volume of illegally obtained goods now circulating in the market, people will need to have their wits about them to ensure they do not indirectly support this thievery,” said Ozoux.

He offered the following tips:

• Report known or suspected possession of looted tyres to the Looted Tyres Hotline.
• Tyre fitment centres should not fit loose tyres without valid proof of purchase.
• Approach purchases from unknown retailers and individuals with caution. Purchase only from reputable manufacturers and suppliers.
• If someone is listing items in bulk, that should be a red flag.
• If the item is marked at a drastically reduced price, that is another red flag.
• If the seller is unable to provide proof of purchase on a brand-new item, it could mean it has been illegally obtained.

“Purchasing items known to have been stolen in large quantities during the looting only does further damage to our country’s economy. It is almost the equivalent of stealing these goods yourself,” he added.

Purchasing through informal channels can encourage more criminal acts and further looting.

“As a brand we lead by example, and now is the time to live by our values. We are appealing to the public to refrain from purchasing any suspicious items for sale on social media.  We ask that you discourage friends and family from purchasing the same,” said Ozoux.