The team at Toyota Material Handling, a division of CFAO Equipment, demonstrated just how much they care when they donated a tow tractor worth R600,000 to the South African Red Cross Air Mercy Service Trust (AMS) to help save lives in the Gqeberha region of the Eastern Cape.
AMS is a non-profit aero-medical organisation with active operational bases in the Western Cape (Cape Town & Oudtshoorn), KwaZulu-Natal (Durban), and the Eastern Cape (East London, Gqeberha, and Mthatha) that provides an air ambulance network, outreach, and emergency rescue services.
The AMS facilitates access to healthcare services for critically ill or injured people and requiring specialist medical expertise, especially in remote rural communities. It is the only aero-medical operator in Southern Africa that offers a complete package of air ambulance, health outreach and rescue services to local communities.
AMS urgently needed to replace its tow tractor at its Gqeberha base and reached out to Toyota Material Handling for assistance as the existing unit was no longer economically repairable and needed to be replaced to relocate the emergency helicopter out of the hangar.
Pilots hook a tow tractor onto the aircraft – or a towing platform in the case of helicopters – and tow them out of the hangar onto the apron to take off for emergency aero-medical flights. The tow tractor allows medics and pilots to be airborne as quickly as possible in the event of an emergency.
AMS CEO, Farhaad Haffejee, says the vehicle is crucial to AMS’ daily operations. “Without a reliable substitute, we faced potential disruptions that could negatively impact our ability to provide our critical services to local communities.
“The new tow tractor represents a transformative asset for our organisation. We are incredibly grateful to Toyota Material Handling for the generous donation, which is a pivotal enhancement for our AMS Gqeberha operations.”
CFAO Equipment’s Head of Human Capital, Arveen Ramdhani, says when Toyota Material Handling heard about AMS’ dilemma, they immediately understood how critical the situation was and offered to help.
“This is not the first time we have assisted AMS. In 2021, AMS approached us to help repair a tow tractor at its Richards Bay base and relocate it to Cape Town. At that time, the AMS only had operational bases in KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape. Since then, they have expanded into the Eastern Cape and now have three active helicopter bases in Gqeberha, East London and Mthatha,” he adds.
Ramdhani says this second donation highlights Toyota Material Handling’s commitment to enhancing healthcare accessibility through infrastructure support to local communities.
“The tow tractor will help facilitate AMS’s operations, make medical transportation more efficient, and ultimately, save more lives. As we celebrate Toyota Material Handling’s 40-year anniversary, this donation is a fitting testimony to our commitment to give back to the communities we operate in. Accessible health services mean that every individual receives the necessary care when needed most,” he adds.
Haffejee says for AMS, the tow tractor is not just a logistical upgrade. “It is a commitment to maintaining the highest standards of care for those who depend on our services in their most urgent times of need.”
