MYSTERY surrounds how a controversial sign barring Ford Kugas ended up at the main entrance of an upmarket complex in George yesterday.
Some residents of the L’Azur complex in Wilderness were caught by surprise when welcomed by the sign which read: “No Ford Kuga cars allowed inside these premises”.
While the sign has now been taken down, a picture of the board has been doing the rounds on social media, with some labelling it as discrimination.
Ruhan Fouche, who is a trustee of the complex’s body corporate, Status Mark Property Management, has refuted reports that the sign was put up by the area’s caretaker.
“The board has been removed. I removed it because no one asked for it and no one had granted permission for it.
“I don’t think it’s right, because the people who bought the car would have not anticipated what is currently going on with the car,” he said.
Fouche added that he was trying to contact the complex’s caretaker to enquire about who erected the sign.
“It’s discrimination in a way. The strange thing is that when I was putting the sign down, one woman who was standing across the road asked me why I was doing it.
“It just shows the differences in opinions around these issues.”
He said the matter would be investigated. Ford South Africa did not respond to questions before deadline.
The embattled carmaker has come under sustained criticism after a spate of engine fires, one of which is suspected to have caused the death of Reshall Jimmy in December 2015.
The engine fires, believed to have been caused by a malfunctioning engine coolant system, has left owners fuming and fearing for their lives.
Last week Ford announced the safety recall of the 1.6-litre Kuga SUVs. The company has been lambasted for not recalling the model when South Africans first started complaining about its combustible SUVs.
The recall affected 4 556 Kuga 1.6l Ecoboost models produced between December 2012 and February 2014. About 45 cases of the Ford Kuga bursting into flames were reported, nine of them this year alone.