Township mechanics in South Africa unite to turbocharge their small
businesses
[June 24, 2025] By
MICHELLE GUMEDE
BRAKPAN, South Africa (AP) — Themba Maseko quickly wipes oil and grease
off his hands with a rag as he breaks away from repairing one car to
assist another customer who needs parts for a low-riding BMW 325is that
he’s pulled up in, exhausts booming.
As soon as Maseko returns beneath the hood of the first vehicle to
continue his work, yet another man arrives desperately wanting his car
to be looked at.
“It gets hectic,” said the 39-year-old mechanic, sweat plastering his
face.
The father of three runs a small motor repair shop in the township of
Tsakane, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) east of South Africa’s biggest
city of Johannesburg. His hopes for his business to succeed when it’s up
against established urban car service and repair centers have been
boosted by a new initiative started at the end of last year.
Maseko has joined with other mechanics from townships to form a
cooperative. Together, they now have combined purchasing power to ensure
they can source official car spares and equipment for their shops and
don’t get cut out of the market. The Motor Spares Collective means they
can place orders to an online spares shop through WhatsApp and authentic
parts are usually delivered to them in 24 hours.
That avoids what Maseko says is his biggest challenge: spending hours
away from his garage queuing for parts, sometimes to find there aren’t
any in stock because they’ve been bought up by larger chains.
As one busy day at his shop showed, the customers are lining up for
Maseko’s services, he just needs the parts.
“Now with the collective it’s much easier. I don’t have to go stand in
queue and waste time,” said Maseko, who changed career from an
electrician to a full-time mechanic in 2008. “Plus, it’s at a cheaper
price.”
Small enterprises are part of a big informal sector
The Motor Spares Collective is one initiative designed to unlock the
potential of small township businesses in South Africa, which the
government has identified as key to driving growth and creating jobs in
areas where unemployment and poverty are high.
Various studies indicate that more than 21 million people in South
Africa live in townships on the edge of major cities or towns — a third
of the population — and they have a combined spending power of billions
of dollars and generally prefer local businesses.
South Africa has over 700,000 registered small businesses. In the
townships these include hair salons, taverns, car repair shops,
laundromats and others sometimes operating out of people’s homes.
According to a report by financial services group Lesaka, South Africa’s
informal sector generates an estimated $33 billion in revenue, or more
than 6% of GDP.
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Themba Maseko, a 39-year-old mechanic, repairs a BMW car outside his
workshop in Brakpan, east of Johannesburg, South Africa, Wednesday,
May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
“People don’t respect the trade in the townships,” said Sharief Bartus,
another member of the motor spares collective.
For a $10 monthly membership fee for the first year, Maseko and the
others get more than just access to car parts and tools for their
garages. The collective also offers skills development opportunities,
help with business registration and financing.
“The more members we get, the more discounts we get, the more work we
have,” said Dorian Slimmerts, another mechanic in the collective who is
operating not far from Maseko.
Mechanics discover a thriving opportunity
Township mechanics offering a local option for car owners have long
battled on the fringes of the country’s commercial auto manufacturing
and repair sector. A regulation change in 2020 also made a big
difference. New “right to repair” rules in South Africa mean car owners
can now have their vehicles serviced by registered independent mechanics
and not lose their warranties.
That’s opened the door a little more for township mechanics.
Car maintenance is especially needed in South Africa, where there are
around 12 million automobiles on the road and people are keeping their
cars longer. The demand for affordable pre-owned cars has outpaced new
cars since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Time is the critical element for township mechanics, though. Their
businesses see lots of walk-in clients, prices are often negotiated and
customers expect quick service — or they will look elsewhere.
“All the mechanic sells is time,” said Amanda Gcabashe, managing
director of UBU Investment Holdings, an economic advisory company that
helped set up the cooperative. “And that’s why we came with this to say,
how do we make sure that we then solve that pain point by making spares
easily accessible?”
She said that as well as the business help, the collective is also
looking to offer life insurance packages and other social safety net
services for its mechanics.
Bulelani Balabala, the founder of the Township Entrepreneurs Alliance,
said cooperatives were a powerful way to harness the potential of small
businesses serving millions of people in townships.
“It’s a market that can’t be ignored,” he said.
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