At the Automechanika CEO Breakfast held in Johannesburg on 30 January 2026, Retail Motor Industry Organisation (RMI) CEO Ipeleng Mabusela delivered a clear message: South Africa’s automotive retail and aftermarket sector is not a supporting act to vehicle manufacturing—it is the beating heart of national mobility, employment and economic participation.
Mabusela described the aftermarket as the “entire life” of a vehicle, supporting South Africans long after cars leave the showroom floor. Workshops, tyre specialists, testing centres, body repairers, fuel retailers and parts suppliers form a nationwide ecosystem present in every district and interacting with every household. This daily contact underpins mobility, which in turn enables productivity, economic opportunity and social inclusion.
Crucially, government departments have begun acknowledging its scale. The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition recognises that South Africa’s Automotive Masterplan cannot reach its goals without fully considering the aftermarket’s true economic weight. The Department of Transport relies on the sector’s footprint for roadworthiness enforcement, while skills development authorities view automotive trades as essential for national training and transformation priorities.
The sector is also the most significant employer in the automotive value chain. Around 70% of all industry jobs—some 270,000 roles—sit in the retail and aftermarket space, most of them within small and medium‑sized enterprises (SME). Despite subdued economic growth, aftermarket employment has grown at roughly 1.2% per year between 2020 and 2024, demonstrating enduring resilience.
More than 23,000 businesses operate in the space, 80% of them SMEs. The RMI represents 8,500 of these firms and negotiates wages for more than 300,000 workers. This makes the aftermarket the country’s most powerful labour absorption mechanism, especially as South Africa’s vehicle fleet continues to age, averaging 10.8 years. Older vehicles intensify demand for affordable, reliable maintenance—driving continual sector activity even in tough economic periods.
New data has revealed that over 54% of the total value added by the automotive sector comes from retail and aftermarket activity, amounting to more than R200 billion. Manufacturing, by contrast, contributes around R170 billion. This shift in understanding places the aftermarket firmly at the centre of South Africa’s economic engine—vital for mobility, safety and consumer protection.
However, the sector is facing an urgent skills crisis. Artisan numbers have fallen by 31% over the past decade, despite a 125% rise in apprentices. This imbalance threatens repair quality, delays service delivery and compromises road safety. It also restricts transformation, particularly in township economies where automotive trades offer accessible pathways into employment and entrepreneurship.
Encouragingly, Mabusela emphasised that solutions already exist. The RMI and its partners have built a national skills pipeline encompassing talent attraction, training and placement. Current initiatives include merSETA‑funded programmes supporting more than 2,500 learners, Recognition of Prior Learning opportunities across multiple trades, Project Dineo for youth development, and new capacity for electric vehicle and advanced‑diagnostic training.
Mabusela closed with a vision for 2026 centred on collaboration, stronger skills, modernised vehicle testing, reduced compliance burdens for SMEs and greater local value creation through remanufacturing and green‑parts industries. With coordinated action across business, labour, government and training institutions, South Africa can unlock the full potential of its aftermarket—and ensure safe, affordable mobility for all.
