Concerns have emerged about the potential affect of electric vehicles (EVs) on fuel attendant jobs in South Africa after misleading information circulated recently.
Martlé Keyter, CEO for operations at the Motor Industry Staff Association (Misa), said there are about 50,000 fuel attendants who have been unnecessarily worried about job security due to these rumours.
Keyter clarified the confusion arose from mixing up the automotive manufacturing sector with the retail motor industry, which includes services such as dealerships, workshops and fuel stations. Even when considering all employees at service stations, including administrative staff and cashiers, the total workforce is about 87,000 — far below the inflated figure of 140,000.
Hermann Köstens, Misa's CEO for strategy and development, said of about 11-million vehicles on South Africa’s roads, only 0.15% are EVs, with fully electric vehicles making up just 0.02%.
He noted EV adoption remains slow in South Africa, partly because of the absence of government incentives and high price tags.
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