Today in history: The Automobile Association of South Africa (AA) is formed
The Automobile Association of South Africa (AA) was formed at a meeting in Port Elizabeth attended by several provincial and other motoring clubs.
The first motoring club, the Automobile Club of SA, based in Cape Town, was founded on 23 October 1901.
The Automobile Association of South Africa (AA) was formed at a meeting in Port Elizabeth attended by several provincial and other motoring clubs.
Its main function was to provide a strong national motoring organisation to protect and promote the interests of motorists in South Africa.
The original Cape Town based Automobile Club of SA received a royal charter and became known as the Royal Automobile Club of South Africa.
This club was taken over by the AA in 1965, after a fruitful existence of 64 years.
The nation-wide Federation of Automobile Clubs (FAC) was formed in 1923 to coordinate and provide greater impetus to the interests of motorists.
However, it did not fully succeed in its mandate of coordinating and facilitating the interests of motorists and dealing with councils, municipalities and government.
In January 1930 the FAC was liquidated and reconstituted as the Automobile Association of SA.
In 1934, following the adoption of centralised control, the final improvement in the AA’s effectiveness was brought about.
Information sourced from: South African History Online.
