On 6 February 2020, BMW South Africa donated five BMW i3s to the government “to aid the fight against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in South Africa”. The donation ceremony was attended by an audience of invited guests including high-ranking government officials. President Cyril Ramaphosa, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, Minister of Trade and Industry Ebrahim Patel and BMW Group board members were in attendance.
The day before the launch, the Presidency released a statement saying that the cars would be used “to support community-based care workers in their prevention of gender-based violence and femicide and in victim support” and would be “presented to the South African Business Coalition on Health and Aids (SABCOHA) to manage on behalf of the multisectoral Interim Steering Committee (ISC) on Gender-based Violence and Femicide”. Indeed, at the ceremony on 6 February 2020 the keys to (at least