25 000 Vehicle Recall

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is concerned by the announcement by the National Consumer Commission (NCC) to recall twenty-five thousand VW Polo Vehicles sold in South Africa between February 2025 and February 2026, citing a technical fault in the braking system.

A mass recall of this scale means that thousands of South Africans on our roads are potentially at risk of causing harm to themselves and others, due to their vehicles not being properly assessed technically at the assembly line, before being released for sale. The risk does not only arise now but has been persistent for vehicles sold over a period of a year, and a cause of concern should be the possibility that the faults are not isolated to handbrake safety faults alone.

This means multiple collisions or accidents that have occurred on our roads involving VW Polo Vehicles can be linked with the technical faults in their vehicles, which were not readily identified due to industry pressures and the desire for mass-production and sale.

The EFF condemns Volkswagen particularly as reckless and irresponsible, as they have risked the lives of South African people and their vehicles, in the interests of mass-production and profit maximisation.

The EFF calls for an immediate collaborative inquiry into all accidents, especially those which have resulted in fatalities that involve VW Polo Vehicles between the period of February 2025 and February 2026. Volkswagen must be held liable in instances where such fatalities occurred due to technical faults in their vehicles, and all affected families must be compensated.

The EFF will write to the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry and Competition, inclusive of the Department of Transport and the National Consumer Commission to hold a joint Portfolio Committee meeting to receive a full report on the technical failure and to hold Volkswagen in particular accountable.