Township mechanics in South Africa unite to turbocharge their small businesses

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.”

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.

“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.

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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Themba Maseko, a 39-year-old mechanic, works inside his workshop in Brakpan, east of Johannesburg, South Africa, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Cars to be repaired are parked outside the workshop of Themba Maseko, a 39-year-old mechanic, in Brakpan, east of Johannesburg, South Africa, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

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)

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)

Themba Maseko, a 39-year-old mechanic, peeks through a window inside a workshop in Brakpan, east of Johannesburg, South Africa, Wednesday, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)