Brendon Jordaan of Eastern Cape Motors in Gqeberha has been named Ford South Africa’s Top Technician for the second year in a row.
Jordaan won the 2026 Service Engineering and Operations Skills Contest, Ford South Africa said. He beat seven other finalists at the Ford Technical Training Centre in Silverton.
“Skills, competency, training and, above everything else, people matter,” said Kevin Heunis, Director of Service Engineering and Operations at Ford South Africa. “Our technicians keep our customers moving, and the quality of their work directly influences how customers feel about Ford.”
The eight finalists were chosen from a pool of 540 technicians across Ford’s dealer network in South Africa.
Stefan Van Der Merwe of Human Auto in Welkom came second. Noel Els of MMG Ford in Bethlehem finished third. Els was also a returning finalist.
Jordaan received R20 000 in prize money. Van Der Merwe received R10 000 and Els received R5 000.
As the winner, Jordaan will represent South Africa at Ford’s International Markets Group Technician Skills Competition. It takes place in Bangkok, Thailand, on 11 and 12 November 2026.
At the last international event, he finished fourth out of 10 contestants from the region.
The contest was a full day of practical tests. Each test started with a job card that described a customer’s problem with a vehicle.
Contestants had to follow Ford’s workshop steps, study the information, find the fault and explain how they reached their answer.
According to Ford, the contest rewarded a careful and repeatable method, not just finding the right answer. The company said this helps make sure the real cause of a fault is fixed.
Neale Hill, President of Ford Motor Company Africa, said no algorithm or technology could replace the judgement of a top technician.
“Vehicle sales start the relationship, but the service experience keeps it alive,” Hill said.
PK Umashankar, a senior director for customer service at Ford International Markets Group, spoke at the awards evening. He said about 8,000 Ford technicians in the group’s markets handle around 17,000 repair orders each day.
He said better repair results and faster turnaround times had placed South Africa among Ford’s top three service markets in the region.
Pradeep Jaiswal, a service director for the group, also attended. “All eight South African finalists should be incredibly proud of what they have achieved,” Jaiswal said.
Eight apprentices from Ford’s first pilot apprentice scholarship programme watched the contest. The three-year programme combines the merSETA apprenticeship route with Ford training and dealership work.
Ford said the programme is expected to take in a new group of apprentices in 2027.
Source: this article is based on reporting by Lifestyle & Tech. Image: Lifestyle & Tech. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Technology desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Werner Jacobs covers technology for Tzaneen Voice. Werner reports on mobile networks, data prices, internet access, smartphones, apps, AI, cybersecurity and South African tech companies. Each story explains what a new product, price change or policy means for ordinary users in South Africa.