When Paballo Maifo was in high school, she imagined herself standing in front of a classroom as a teacher one day.
However, disappointing matric results left her sitting at home for months, uncertain of her future.
Today, the 29-year-old is a qualified motor mechanic entrepreneur, having graduated from the Kgabo Cars workshop in Soshanguve, a programme that has spent the past 15 years equipping unemployed youths with technical skills and helping many become entrepreneurs.
Maifo said it was her uncle who first sparked her love for cars, long before she considered the trade as a career.
“After matric, I initially thought I was going into teaching. But unfortunately I only received a diploma pass, not a bachelor’s pass, so I wasn’t accepted at university.
“I sat at home for three months before my uncle, who was studying mechanical engineering, suggested that because of my love of cars, I should pursue a career in motor mechanics.”
Maifo said she joined Kgabo Cars in 2019, where her interest in car parts and inner workings grew further.
I sat at home for three months before my uncle, who was studying mechanical engineering, suggested that because of my love of cars, I should pursue a career in motor mechanics.
— Paballo Maifo
“Initially I heard about Kgabo Cars from a friend of mine, who saw a poster inviting new students to the workshop. I went to an interview, and I was accepted. When I was under apprenticeship, they took us to Interface for a year before I could qualify, where they were specialising in Mercedes-Benz,” she said.
Today Maifo is an entrepreneur, after registering her own company in January, selling car parts.
“I love what I do, and I am good at it. I learnt a lot from the apprenticeship, and that has put me where I am now,” she said.
John Matibita, 38, first walked into the Kgabo Cars workshop more than a decade ago as a young man with a passion for fixing cars.
”I heard about the programme through my sister. She told me it would be a great opportunity, so I decided to join,” he said.
“I’ve always wanted to be a motor mechanic. Nobody inspired me to do it, I just enjoyed fixing things from a young age. It came naturally to me, and I knew it was the career I wanted to follow.”
“After I qualified, I stayed on and started mentoring students. I enjoyed seeing students develop their skills, and it was rewarding to see them qualify,” he said.
After more than a year of mentoring young apprentices, Matibita decided it was time to pursue another dream.
Today, he owns MJ Mums Auto Service, where he hopes to create opportunities for others entering the trade. “My goal is not only to run a successful business but also to pass on the skills I’ve learned and help other people grow in the industry.”
Kgabo Cars founder and owner Dr Isaac Boshomane said the vision behind the facility was to prove that world-class automotive and motor mechanic skills could be trained where young people actually lived.
“Establishing the training centre in Soshanguve was a deliberate decision to bring opportunity into the township, instead of asking young people to chase their dreams in distant industrial hubs they often could not afford to reach,” he said.
In the programme, students learn diagnostics, servicing, repairs, auto-electrical systems, customer service and basic business management.
Boshomane said the purpose of the workshop was to try to change perceptions about artisan careers.
“Too many young people have been taught that there are only two doors: university or ‘nothing’. That is simply not true. For South Africa to fight the high youth unemployment rate and create jobs and grow the economy, our education system should increase technical and vocational education to around 70% and drop academia to around 30%, like the leading economic powerhouses,“ he said.
“A skilled artisan with a good reputation can earn very well, especially when they own the business. Artisan training is not a ‘second choice’, it is a powerful first step towards independence.”
Sowetan
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