Worldwide it's known as the Familia AP, in North America as the "Great Little Car" and as the Mazda 323 in South Africa. But people in the township will tell you that, to them, it's i'dombolo.

The Japanese manufacturers discontinued production of it back in 1980, but today a group called the Dombolo society wishes that it was still being made, so they wouldn't struggle to find parts for the Mazda 323s they still own.

The name "dombolo" came about because its shape resembled that of a dumpling.

Someone who's lived in the townships will tell you that the only cars with serious street cred there have always been the BMW or VW GTI.

Unlike the BMW 325is, or the infamous gusheshe as it's commonly known, the Mazda 323 isn't a car you'd see a crowd cheering and whistling for while being spun somewhere at a corner in Soweto.

But the members of the Dombolo society say that before the BMW 325is came along, it was the Mazda 323 that drove people crazy. The group of 12 has been meeting on the first weekend of the month, at a different member's house, for three years now, to hang out and trade parts for their cars. Today they're at Obed Mabasa's house in Soweto's Braamfischer and the host boasts about how all his neighbours know that the Dombolos are coming today.

Most of the members are older, which explains The Temptations song, My Lady Soul, that's blasting from a speaker fitted in one of the car's boots.

Theirs is clearly a boys' club, because the partners they've brought along with them sit inside the house, far from all the car talk happening outside. On an A4 hardcover book with pictures of their cars emblazoned on the front, they note down all the payments of R320 that are made towards the fixing of their cars at every meeting.

Their cars sport little badges on the front that say things like "Up the Bucs" or "Pringle of Scotland". The Dombolo crew, which is how they refer to themselves, can tell you all sorts of information about the car, like how its original interior was velvet. Or how it being a rear-wheel drive is unique for a hatchback. The society is eagerly looking for new members, and invites people who own 323s to join them with the hope that once the group gets bigger, they can start holding their monthly meetings at a set venue.

Jimmy Moloi (39)

Moloi says: "My wife knows that I love this car more than her. I'm planning to buy a Golf, but I've made it clear that the Golf will park outside overnight. And the Dombolo will keep its parking in the garage." He boasts about having travelled to Qwa-Qwa six times in his car without it breaking down. "The only thing I have to worry about on my trip are the speed cameras. And I only spend R200 on petrol to get there," adds Moloi. He works as a mechanic at Toyota and praises the car's engine for its simplicity. "I could teach you how its engine works today, and tomorrow you would be able to manoeuvre it by yourself," he says.

Ashley Burds (45)

Burds is from Noordgesig and because he doesn't speak a word of vernacular, every once in a while someone translates the conversation for him.

Two years ago in Kliptown, while driving his Mazda 323, he was stopped by Moloi who told him about the Dombolo society. Burds has been a member ever since. He says: "After he told me what the group was all about, I thought it was a great idea and I decided to join them. I didn't know there were people out there who loved it like I did."

Pule Lemao (26)

You'd think that because Lemao is so young he'd want to drive a Citi Golf or a BMW - anything but a car that's literally older than he is. Lemao has a girlfriend who accepts his obsession with the Mazda 323, but he says she's made it clear that she wouldn't drive it under any circumstances.

"I've always been someone who hung out with people who were older than me, so maybe that's why I started loving such an old car," Lemao says.

"If you can get your hands on it, it's an easy car to fix. The tricky thing is connecting yourself with the right people, so that you can get the parts you need. That's why this group of ours is so important to me."

Modise Ramotha (38)

Ramotha is a taxi driver and says: "I've got three cars and the Mazda is the fun car that I use on weekends. I also like the fact that with this car I'm not a target for hijacking."

From time to time the society members love to interrupt each other to tell stories about their cars.

Ramotha proudly jokes about how he was woken up at three in the morning to tow his friend's BMW X5. "His wife had switched the car off using a laptop and the Tracker, so I towed an X5 with my little Mazda."

Since it's so difficult to get hold of parts, Ramotha says: "If one of us sees the car parked in a yard, we usually go in and talk to the owner to buy parts from them."

Phelele Ranuga (32)

Ranuga, who owns a tent-hiring service, says: "This was the first car that I ever bought myself. Obviously I have aspirations to drive better cars, but I will always keep this one because I want my children to experience driving it. This was the best car in the 1980s and I still feel that way every time I drive it.

"One day I will drive another car, but my heart is in this car."