The South African Guild of Motoring Journalists (SAGMJ) today announced the Jury and Trainee Jury members for the 2020 AutoTrader South African Car Of The Year.

Love George is proud that no less than three of the journalists writing for our local publication, Ultimate Drive, have been honoured with selection as 2020 COTY Jurors. We believe in quality journalism and Ultimate Drive, as our Motoring Division, delivers just that. 

The criteria for Jury eligibility includes:

• All candidates must be members in good standing with the SAGMJ
• A Full Member must have completed a minimum of two years of Jury training. Full members who do not comply with this requirement will be considered for the jury programme
• A Jury member must be active members of the SAGMJ for a minimum of five years
• A Jury member must be an industry-recognised journalist who has participated in the industry by attending manufacturer launch events, and/or by driving test vehicles during the eligibility period

The criteria for Trainee Jury eligibility includes:

• All candidates must be members in good standing with the SAGMJ
• Trainee Jury members must be active members of the SAGMJ for a minimum of two years
• A Trainee Jury member must be an industry-recognised journalist who has participated in the industry by attending manufacturer launch events, and/or by driving test vehicles during the eligibility period

Following a vote by the Full membership of the SAGMJ, the following members of the Guild have been nominated and vetted by the Executive Committee as the Jury and Trainees for the 2020 competition, and have confirmed their participation:

2020 South African Car Of The Year Jurors (in alphabetical order)

Adam Ford

Bernard Hellberg Jr.

Carl Wepener

Charlene Clarke

Colin Windell

Denis Droppa

Derek Watts

Dirk Gallowitz

Egmont Sippel

Ferdi de Vos

Francisco Nwamba

Hannes Visser

Janine-Lee van der Post

Jason Woosey

Jeanette Kok-Kritzinger

Johann van Tonder

Justus Visagie

Lawrence Smith

Mabuyane Kekana

Marnus Hattingh

Pritesh Ruthun

Ray Leathern

Roger McCleery

Rubin van Niekerk

Sean Nurse

Stuart Johnston

Wynter Murdoch

2020 South African Car Of The Year Trainee Jurors (in alphabetical order)

Brenwin Naidu (1^st year)

Chris Wall (1^st year)

Farzana Chaumoo (1^st year)

Graham Erasmus (2^nd year)

Melinda Ferguson (2^nd year)

Richard Wiley (1^st year)

Sisanda Mbete (2^nd year)

Vuyi Mpofu (2^nd year)

RESERVE: Hanjo Stier (1^st Year)

The eligibility period for vehicle ranges that may be considered for the 2020 AutoTrader South African Car Of The Year competition is from 1 November 2019 up to and including 31 October 2019.

The finalist announcement is scheduled for November (final date to be determined), and on 8^th, 9^th and 10^th of March 2020 the Jury will put the finalists through stringent testing. The winners’ announcement is tentatively booked for the 31^st of March 2020 or 2^nd of April 2020.

The SA Guild of Motoring Journalists is the custodian of the South African Car Of The Year competition since 1986 and has a long-standing heritage of awarding automotive excellence. It remains the most prestigious and credible Car Competition in South Africa.