Career Stories
They didn't follow the conventional path. They picked up a spanner, showed up every day, and built careers that matter. These are their stories.
Featured Story
Kagiso Sithole
Master Technician
BMW South Africa
Nobody believed a kid from Mamelodi who started pumping petrol at 16 would one day be diagnosing complex electronic faults on the latest BMW models. Kagiso Sithole believed it — and that was enough.
"The trade gave me everything. A house. A future. The ability to look my kids in the eye and say I built this with my hands."
Kagiso's first job was at a filling station in Mamelodi. He was 16, had just finished Grade 10, and had no idea what he wanted to do with his life. But he noticed things — the way engines sounded, the way mechanics moved with purpose under a bonnet. He started asking questions.
At 18, he enrolled in a motor mechanic learnership at a local dealership. The pay was almost nothing. The hours were long. But Kagiso was absorbing everything. By year three, he was the one the senior technicians called when they were stuck.
Today, Kagiso holds a Master Technician certification from BMW — one of fewer than 200 in South Africa. He trains other technicians, consults on complex diagnostics, and mentors young apprentices from the same townships he grew up in.
"The trade gave me everything," he says. "A house. A future. The ability to look my kids in the eye and say I built this with my hands. Nobody can take that away from you."
More Stories
Ruan Botha · Workshop Owner
Ruan's matric results weren't going to get him into university. But his hands were extraordinary. Fifteen years later he employs 8 people and runs one of the most respected independent workshops in the Winelands.
"My matric results weren't great. But my hands were. Fifteen years later I employ 8 people."
Nomsa Khumalo · Senior Panel Beater
People underestimate what it takes to be a panel beater. Nomsa Khumalo has spent 12 years proving them wrong — one perfectly restored panel at a time.
"People underestimate what it takes to be a panel beater. It's art. It's engineering. It's everything."
Anél van der Merwe · Master Panel Beater
Anél walked into a panel beating workshop at 19 and never looked back. Two decades later she's a master of her craft and a vocal champion for women in the automotive trades.
"I wouldn't change a thing. The workshop is where I belong."
Thabo Mokoena · Auto Electrician & EV Specialist
When Thabo started his auto electrician apprenticeship, EVs were science fiction in South Africa. Now he's one of the country's leading voices on electric vehicle readiness in the workshop.
"The trade is evolving. You either evolve with it or you get left behind."
Every tradesperson has a story worth telling. If you've built a career, a business, or a reputation in the automotive industry — we want to feature you.