ROYAL AUTOMOBILE CLUB~ZA~METAL CAR BADGE~1923-1930?

The first motoring organisation was the Automobile Club of SA, formed in Cape Town in 1901. This body began to lobby for improved roads and amenities for cars. The effect was a mere ripple in the pond for the motoring numbers grew slowly. The Anglo Boer War ended in 1902, the first car in Johannesburg was registered in 1904, the first American imports arrived in 1906, and the first motor show was held in 1908. Local motor assembly commenced in 1923.

Other bodies began to spring up around the country: the Transvaal Automobile Club in 1903, the Natal AC in 1906, Pietermaritzburg in 1907, the East London and Border in 1908 and the Queenstown AC in 1916. In 1911 the original Cape Town based Automobile Club of SA received a royal charter and became known as the Royal Automobile Club of South Africa. By 1923 clubs existed throughout the Union, including those in towns and areas such as Winburg, Zoutpansberg, Somerset East, Pretoria, The Midlands, Mafikeng, Cathcart, Aliwal and District.

The groundswell was such that a Federation of Automobile Clubs was formed in 1923 to co-ordinate and provide greater impetus to the interests of motorists. The disadvantages of many diverse bodies attempting to deal with councils, municipalities and government were fully realised. In 1928, the Queenstown AC was granted permission by the AA of Great Britain to use its car badge and name as a Federated AA. This was where the idea of a nationwide AA originated.

In January of 1930 the Federation of Clubs was liquidated and reconstituted as the Automobile Association of SA. The final improvement in the AA’s effectiveness came with the adoption of centralized control in 1934. There was now a significant and recognized body to lobby the interests of motoring in its broadest sense.