Events

1. June 1976 – Soweto Riots and preceded by the invasion of Angola in October 1975.
2. 15 August 1985 – Rubicon speech when PW Botha dashed hopes of a ‘soft’ landing for Apartheid.  This had been preceded by more than a year of money outflows and devaluation of the Rand
3. 27 April 1994 – Democratic elections
4. 5 October 2007 – Dow peak before subprime crisis
5. 15 September 2008 – Lehman Brothers files for bankruptcy
6. 27 March 2020 – Covid lockdown

Periods

1. Good economic growth rate in the 60’s and early 70’s.
2. Tumultuous times and the uncertain future kept sales flat for roughly 26 years.
3. The rise of the nouveau riche with AA and BEE seriously kicking in.
4. Subprime crisis and the global recession and its resolution.
5. The onset of serious state capture and the policy chickens coming home to roost. The drop in car sales started in about 2012 pushing car sales back to 1975 levels although the population had increased by 2.3 times over that period – not a pretty sight and it is mirrored by our massive unemployment and a nearly bankrupt fiscus.