I have been part of the bakkie family for most of my 60 years in sunny and often dusty South Africa.

Some of my earliest memories are from the back of a bakkie, holding onto the cattle rails (“skaapkraaltjie”) with the wind in my face and an overexcited dog by my side. Growing up on a fruit farm, my siblings and I spent countless hours travelling in the canopies of our family’s Datsun bakkies.

One journey stands out above all the others is the annual Easter trip from Buffeljachtsrivier to Gouritzmond. To this day, I cannot decide what was worse: the exhaust fumes or the clouds of dust from the dirt road between Albertinia and Gouritzmond. By the time we arrived, we looked like blondes with invisible eyelashes!

Years later, when I bought my first bakkie – a Ford Bantam I used as both a daily commuter and weekend builder’s vehicle, I encountered a different frustration. Stones, dirt and debris constantly found their way into the gap between the tailgate and load bin, causing damage and eventually requiring costly repairs and respraying.

My next bakkie, an Isuzu that I used as a contractor and builder, was no better. It seemed determined to suck in every dust particle on the road. Tools, equipment and furniture would arrive at their destination covered in a fine layer of dust.

I’ve always believed that every problem presents an opportunity.

The more I used my bakkies, the more one question kept coming to mind….