Sawubona, mfowethu! If you’ve ever stood next to a 40-tonne excavator that’s been sitting dead for three weeks waiting for a R280 000 hydraulic pump from Japan, then this 3 000-word deep-dive is written specifically for you. My name is Ralph – I’m one of the guys at Vikfin who actually turns the spanners, drives the forklift, and argues with customs officials so your parts land in Kitwe or Walvis Bay without drama. Today I’m pulling back the curtain on exactly how Vikfin has

Sawubona, boet! The Vikfin yard in Benoni is looking like a Komatsu Christmas tree right now. We’ve just put the finishing touches on stripping a proper high-hour Komatsu PC400-6, and the result is one of the fullest 40-tonne parts spreads we’ve had all year. The engine walked out the door within 48 hours (R128 000, thank you very much), and the main valve bank went to a mine in Mokopane yesterday, but literally everything else is still here, steam-cleaned, photographed, pric