South Africa builds locally made electric transport; what it means for daily commuters

South Africa’s first domestically designed 15-seater electric minibus taxi, the eKamva, sat on display at Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha this week, a physical reminder of what the country’s energy transition could mean for ordinary commuters. Alongside it stood the Thula, a zero-emission game-viewing vehicle, and the Microcare electric vehicle charger, all built locally. The message was deliberate: the capacity exists. The question is whether it can be scaled fast enough to matter.

That question drove the 2026 uYilo e-Mobility Summit, held on Wednesday under the theme “Accelerating Electric Mobility Implementation in South Africa: From Innovation to Industrial Participation.” For citizens, the stakes are immediate. Reliable transport, affordable electricity, clean air and stable employment are not abstract policy goals. They are daily necessities, and the country’s energy transition cannot deliver them without the infrastructure, trained personnel and domestic supply chains that electric mobility requires.

Science, Technology and Innovation Deputy Minister Dr Nomalungelo Gina put it plainly. “The question is not whether electric mobility will happen. The question is whether South Africa will capture value from it. We have the minerals, the research capability, the industrial base and the policy instruments needed to participate meaningfully in the green economy,” she said. Her framing placed the burden squarely on government and industry to convert that potential into tangible benefit for citizens.

The government’s strategy rests on three pillars: leveraging the country’s abundant mineral wealth, building local manufacturing capacity and creating employment through skills development. The Department of Science, Technology and Innovation’s energy storage research, development and innovation programmes are designed to develop technologies, intellectual property and trained workers capable of competing in global battery and electric vehicle value chains.

A concrete example is already taking shape. A partnership between the University of Limpopo and the Manganese Metal Company has demonstrated pilot-scale production of battery-grade manganese sulphate from locally mined manganese, using publicly funded intellectual property developed within South Africa. The process transforms raw mineral into high-value material suitable for lithium-ion battery production, directly advancing beneficiation objectives and opening pathways for industrial participation in communities near mining operations.

Training tied to this work is producing measurable results. The energy storage research and development programme has achieved a graduate absorption rate exceeding 70 percent, with participants securing employment across multiple industries. For workers in communities dependent on economic diversification beyond traditional sectors, that figure is not a statistic. It represents a viable path to stable, quality employment.

Meanwhile, the infrastructure gap remains a serious obstacle to public benefit. Professor Muki Moeng, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Learning and Teaching at Nelson Mandela University, laid out the practical requirements with clarity. “We need reliable electricity and charging infrastructure. We need batteries and the ability to test, reuse and recycle them. We need people who are trained to work safely with these new technologies. We need South African businesses that can develop, manufacture and supply products and services. And we need government, universities and industry to work together to make all of this happen,” she said.

That call for coordination was echoed by Chris Joseph Abraham, founder and CEO of Stellenbosch-based engineering consultancy EV-Fleet. He described the summit’s core purpose as practical rather than ceremonial. “The summit’s objective is to bring together all these organisations to share the data, knowledge and potential partnerships to make industry participation possible,” he said. Without that data sharing, individual breakthroughs remain isolated rather than building toward a coherent industrial base.

Gina returned to the urgency of converting research into reality. “We must convert innovation into industrial participation, investment, jobs and inclusive growth. Together, we can accelerate electric mobility, expand local manufacturing, create quality jobs and position South Africa as a leader in Africa’s green industrial revolution,” she said.

The government’s broader positioning strategy is documented at https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/government-positions-sa-be-leading-player-e-mobility and reflects a recognition that competitive advantage depends on moving beyond mineral extraction toward value-added manufacturing that creates sustainable employment and reduces the country’s carbon footprint.

The eKamva minibus and the Thula game-viewer prove that local innovation can produce finished products. Whether the supply chains, charging networks and training pipelines can be built quickly enough to make electric mobility accessible to ordinary South Africans, rather than a niche achievement, is the test that now faces government, universities and industry alike.