A Northern Cape entrepreneur is transforming rural automotive repairs while creating jobs and breaking industry stereotypes.
Image: Supplied.
Entrepreneur Kelebogile Mothelesi is proving that high quality automotive repair services do not need to be limited to South Africa’s big cities.
Based in Kuruman in the Northern Cape, Mothelesi has built a growing panel beating and spray painting business that is creating jobs and reshaping perceptions about women in the automotive industry.
A qualified spray painter and semi skilled boiler maker, she founded 3K’s Auto Body Repairs during the uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. What started as a one person operation has since grown into a business employing six people and servicing more than 300 vehicles.
Her journey into the automotive industry began long before she entered formal training.
Mothelesi said her passion for cars was inspired by her late father, who taught her from a young age how to take care of vehicles both inside and out.
When she later enrolled for spray painting training at Kimberley College, that early interest turned into a deep commitment to the craft.
“I fell in love with it. I started noticing everything about cars, the scratches, the repairs and whether the paint was done properly,” she told Business Report.
After working in the industry from 2017 and qualifying in October 2020, she gained valuable experience working at BMW in Cape Town and at several panel beating shops.
However, her long term vision was always to return home and offer professional automotive repair services in her own community.
“People would usually say that not much is happening in rural areas. I wanted to bring quality home,” she said.
That vision quickly proved to be in demand. Many customers in rural areas struggle to access reliable repair services and insurance approved panel beaters. Mothelesi saw the opportunity to close that gap.
Word of mouth helped grow her client base steadily, expanding from fewer than 100 customers to more than 300 vehicles serviced since officially launching operations in September 2023.
In 2024, Mothelesi joined the Anglo American Zimele Auto Repair and Collision programme, which is run in partnership with 3M and Super Auto Paints in Durban.
The initiative provides technical training and business development support to entrepreneurs in the automotive repair sector.
She attended the programme with her only employee at the time, hoping to strengthen their spray painting skills and improve the quality of work delivered to customers.
Entrepreneur Kelebogile Mothelesi is proving that high quality automotive repair services do not need to be limited to South Africa’s big cities.
Image: Supplied.
However, the experience proved to be far more transformative than she expected.
During the programme, one of the instructors recognised her potential and recommended that she participate in additional Zimele development programmes aimed at helping entrepreneurs strengthen their businesses and raise their industry profile.
“The fire was there, but very little. They sparked the fire in me,” she said, explaining how the programme reignited her ambition to grow the business further and reach new clients.
The journey has not been without challenges. Mothelesi said she often faced scepticism from people who doubted that a woman could succeed in a technical trade traditionally dominated by men.
Some men told her she would never succeed in the industry, while others questioned whether the work was suitable for women.
Despite the doubts, she remained focused on building her reputation through the quality of her work.
“Attending the programme really changed my life. Today I am known as the go to panel beater shop because I do a professional and clean job,. Customers are always amazed because some of them cannot recognise where their vehicle had been repaired,” she said.
For Mothelesi, that reaction from customers is the most rewarding part of the work.
“This is why I do what I do,” she said.
Her advice to other women considering careers in the automotive sector is simple. Do not give up.
“As long as people keep developing cars, there will always be a job,” she added.
Looking ahead, Mothelesi has ambitious plans for the future of 3K’s Auto Body Repairs. Her goal is to establish a fully equipped workshop that can employ between 50 and 60 people, creating opportunities for young people in her community.
She believes there is enormous untapped potential in rural areas and hopes her success will inspire others to pursue technical careers and entrepreneurship.
For Mothelesi, building a successful business is about more than personal achievement.
It is about showing that rural communities deserve access to the same quality services and economic opportunities as urban centres.
Follow Business Report on Facebook, X and on LinkedIn for the latest Business and tech news.