The Garage SA’s free community workshop, designed to empower women with essential car confidence skills, was well-attended.

The workshop at Eastgate on September 27 had around 50 women in attendance.

It covered practical skills such as checking fluids, understanding dashboard warning lights and spotting common problems before they become costly repairs.

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The participants learnt from The Garage’s professional mechanics in an interactive, supportive environment.

Shareen Botha, in management at The Garage, said the workshop was hands-on, interactive, and inspiring.

The women left with new skills and improved confidence, and a sense of empowerment in a space often seen as male-dominated.

“The workshop also promoted safety and broke down gender stereotypes in the automotive industry that cars and mechanics are for men, and women don’t belong under the hood.

“These outdated stereotypes discourage women from learning and exclude them from technical spaces,” Botha said.

She added that having these skills is vital because it gives women independence. Simple skills, like checking oil or changing a tyre, prevent exploitation and costly breakdowns.

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Botha said the idea for the workshop was born from stories of women in our community that revealed the risks and the missed opportunities when women are excluded from technical knowledge.

One woman shared how she stopped at a petrol station and asked the attendant to check her oil. He told her it was ‘fine’ and safe to continue driving.

Trusting his advice, she carried on, only for her engine to fail a few weeks later, requiring a complete and costly overhaul. Knowing how to check the oil could have saved her thousands.

Another story involved a woman who tried to use a jack to change a tyre but did not know where to put it. The car collapsed, putting her life at risk. This is not just about inconvenience; it is about safety.

A story of a Grade 10 girl from Edenvale who dreamt of becoming an engineer was also shared.

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When the girl shared her ambition, she was told, “You can’t, because you’re a girl”. The message crushed her confidence and left her discouraged and demotivated. It is these harmful stereotypes that Women on Wheels seeks to dismantle.

“Women on Wheels is about more than cars. It’s about empowering women to feel confident, independent and safe. It’s about saying women belong everywhere, including in industries and spaces historically dominated by men.”

Botha said The Garage plans to grow Women on Wheels into a regular community programme, hosted quarterly at branches across Johannesburg.