AA Garage Retro Board

The roots of the AA go back to 23 October 1901, when the first motoring club, the Automobile Club of South Africa, was founded in Cape Town to protect and promote motorists’ interests. In 1911, after the Duke of Connaught visited South Africa to open the first Union Parliament, this club received a royal charter and became the Royal Automobile Club of South Africa. This club operated independently until it was absorbed by the AA in 1965. Formation of the AA By the early 1920s, motoring was growing rapidly, and several provincial clubs existed. To unify efforts, the Federation of Automobile Clubs (FAC) was formed in 1923, but it struggled to coordinate effectively. On 25 January 1930, the FAC was dissolved and reconstituted as the Automobile Association of South Africa (AA) at a meeting in Port Elizabeth. In 1934, the AA adopted centralised control, which significantly improved its effectiveness. Key Milestones 1938–1948: The AA lobbied for petrol price regulation and national motoring standards. 1963: After years of advocacy, an oil pipeline to the Reef was established, reducing fuel transport costs. 1955–1965: Membership grew from 100,000 to 250,000, and by 1980, it reached 675,000. 1978: The AA played a major role in making seatbelts mandatory in South Africa. 2000s: The AA launched services like AA Club Assist Battery, established its own towing fleet, and opened technical training academies in Johannesburg and Cape Town. 2007 onwards: The AA hosted the first FIA conference outside Europe, introduced crash tests for locally sold vehicles