HISTORY

VAN WETTENS HISTORY – PERSONAL INVOLVEMENT, RELIABILITY AND CARE

Anton van Wetten, founder of Van Wettens, emigrated from Holland to South Africa in 1952. He was a certified Ford mechanic and went to work for a Ford agency in Port Elizabeth. After hours he drove breakdown vehicles to supplement his income. In 1957 he relocated to Nelspruit, where he was employed by the local Ford agency. He continued his recovery work and eventually purchased the recovery part of the business from the garage. Van Wettens Breakdown Services was founded.

In 1957 he relocated to Nelspruit, where he was employed by the local Ford agency. He continued his recovery work and eventually purchased the recovery part of the business from the garage. Van Wettens Breakdown Services was founded.

Wim van Wetten joined the business in 1974. He subsequently took over the management of the company in 1976. Due to the expansion of the company, his brother Jos van Wetten, joined Van Wettens in 1979. The business showed exceptional growth and a branch of Van Wettens was opened in Middelburg in 1982, followed by a third branch in Witbank in 1983, a fourth and fifth branch were opened in White River and Malelane during 1990. In 1976, the first Holmes equipment, a 440 and 600 were purchased. Today, Van Wettens is one of few with a pair of 1801 Holmes wreckers, one of which is mounted on an International Paystar.

In 1984 a lowbed service was begun to service companies with abnormal load needs, followed by Van Wettens Crane Hire in 1988. Today, Van Wettens is still a family business, a business of which the Van Wetten family is rightly proud of. Managing Director, Mr Wim van Wetten, is Chairman of the Mpumalanga Towing and Recovery association and a Director of a leading associations such as the Road Freight Association of South Africa, the Towing and Recovery association of America and the Friends of Towing (a world wide USA-based organization).

Through his unstinting efforts he has also been made a fellow of the International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame of America – one of only four South Africans so honoured.

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