Growing up in Limpopo, Malebo didn’t see many women fixing engines, holding spanners, or running workshops, and neither did anyone around her. In fact, like many girls raised in traditionally structured communities, she was expected to follow a more “suitable” path. Her family had it all planned out, she would become a teacher. But Malebo had a very different vision for her life.
From a young age, she was a tomboy who felt most alive around cars, tools, and anything mechanical. The smell of oil and the sound of engines excited her more than the idea of standing in front of a chalkboard. While her family hoped she’d choose a more familiar, socially accepted career, Malebo quietly held on to her dream of working with cars.
Eventually, she made the brave decision to follow her own path. She enrolled in Mechanical Engineering, defying not only her parents’ expectations but also the stereotypes that told her the motor industry wasn’t made for women. After completing her studies, she didn’t sit back and wait, she rolled up her sleeves and applied to work as an artisan, building real-world experience over the next decade.
Armed with knowledge, skills, and a relentless passion, Malebo took the leap and opened her own panel beating business. And to her surprise, and delight, many male clients were genuinely intrigued and impressed by the idea of a woman repairing their vehicles. Business boomed, and soon she opened more branches, hiring both men and women, creating spaces where skill mattered more than gender.
But Malebo didn’t stop there. Seeing how limited opportunities still were for women in her field, she launched a training school focused on teaching women how to fix cars. Her goal is simple but powerful, to open doors for other girls like her who were told “this job is for men.”
Today, Malebo is more than a successful entrepreneur, she’s a trailblazer, mentor, and living proof that no dream is too bold if you’re willing to chase it. She continues to inspire young women to take up space in male-dominated fields, and her story is a reminder that the road less traveled can lead to something truly extraordinary.
To Malebo, thank you for driving change and showing young women across South Africa that it’s okay to be different, and more than okay to be great.