Mazda Southern Africa has launched the first instalment of its new Ode to Dealer documentary series, beginning in Vereeniging with a story spanning generations, family legacy, and more than six decades of association with the Mazda brand.
The series celebrates the people, relationships and generations that have helped shape Mazda in Southern Africa, with Mazda Vereeniging selected as the opening chapter of the campaign.
At the heart of the Vereeniging story is the Plitt family, whose involvement in the motor industry dates back more than 80 years. The dealership’s relationship with Mazda began in 1964, when Selwyn Plitt brought the franchise into the family business.
“I was the one who brought Mazda into the business,” Selwyn recalls in the documentary. He remembers being approached and asked whether the family business would be interested in taking on the Mazda franchise. That conversation would ultimately begin a relationship that has endured for more than six decades.
“My name is Selwyn Plitt. I’ve been associated with Mazda for over 60 years,” he says. “And I’m proud that I am still, or am, the oldest Mazda dealer in the country.” Today, that legacy continues through Selwyn’s son, Rory Plitt, the third-generation dealer principal of Mazda Vereeniging.
Rory has spent more than three decades in the family business and says his understanding of the dealership was shaped long before he took on a leadership role. “I have been involved in the motor business in the Vaal Triangle in the family business for 34 years now,” he says. “And I can only use the word ‘family’ as where you start.”
His first experiences in the dealership came at a young age, including driving once he had obtained his licence and working alongside previous generations of the family. That sense of involvement and responsibility remains central to how Rory runs the dealership today. “I will be in every Saturday,” he says. “It’s in a blue, blue, blue moon that I won’t be in on Saturday morning. For me, it’s imperative. And that’s just how I’ve grown up.”
That same commitment is now being passed on to the next generation.
Rory’s son, Dylan Plitt, represents the fourth generation of the family to grow up around the business. For Dylan, Mazda Vereeniging has been part of his life for as long as he can remember. “Well, I was born in Vereeniging actually,” Dylan says. “And I remember, since I was a small boy, coming on Saturday mornings with my dad.”
Those early memories include running through the showroom, climbing in and out of Mazda models and watching technicians at work in the workshop.
“And, you know, running around the showroom, jumping into the Mazda cars, in and out of different models, running around the workshop, you know, going looking at what the mechanics are up to. You know, ever since I was a young boy, I remember doing that.”
For Dylan, that experience created a connection with the brand through familiarity and everyday exposure. “I think I’ve always, like, you know, I’ve been brought up, you know, to understand that they’ve been in the country for a long time,” he says. “And they’ve always built really, you know, strong, reliable cars.”
The story of Mazda Vereeniging, however, extends beyond the Plitt family.
Long-serving team members Tony Killian and Ronnie Foster also feature in the film, reflecting on their years of working with Mazda vehicles and the qualities they have seen consistently over time. “You’ve got something that’s got a winning story to it and a winning formula,” they explain. For them, Mazda’s reputation has been reinforced through hands-on workshop experience. “We don’t have to do that with Mazda. You don’t have to do that because the quality is there the whole time. The reliability is there.”
Selwyn echoes that reputation for reliability.
“It’s a reliable motor car,” he says. “And one thing is you’ll always understand that if you buy a Mazda, you don’t have to worry about it.”
Customer loyalty also forms an important part of the dealership’s story. Long-standing customer Salome Van der Berg describes how her relationship with the dealership became closely linked to her relationship with Mazda. “I started knowing Rory, and then I moved to the Mazdas, and I can’t complain,” she says. Her loyalty to both the brand and dealership has remained strong. “I can’t see myself driving any other car than a Mazda and doing business with Rory and them.”
For Rory, those relationships are at the centre of the business. “We have to look after our customers, 100%.”
The Vereeniging story closely reflects the thinking behind Ode to Dealer, which places long-standing dealer heritage, generational relationships, authentic human stories and local relevance at the centre of the campaign.
Rather than focusing solely on vehicles, the series looks at the people who have carried Mazda’s spirit forward and the communities in which those relationships have been built.
For Dylan, the focus is now on continuing that legacy. “I think that we’re here to stay and we’re here to grow as we continue growing and see how far we can get in the Vaal,” he says. “I mean, we’re from here so we’ve always been here.”
The Mazda Vereeniging film is the first of three planned Ode to Dealer instalments, with Mazda East London and Mazda Rola Cape Town set to follow.
Through the series, Mazda Southern Africa celebrates the people behind the badge, the families, employees, and customers whose relationships with the brand have grown across decades and generations.
For Mazda Vereeniging, that journey began many years ago.
And it is still being written.
Wonderrrr Awaits.