WeeklySA_AdminDYNAMIC: A partnership with TVET colleges has created much-coveted apprenticeships and training programmes…
By Nhlanhla Mbatha
In the heart of Nigel, Gauteng, where the clang of steel meets the hum of ambition, a quiet revolution is rolling down the tracks. It’s not just the sound of trains being built – it’s the sound of a future being forged.
And at the centre of this transformation is Gibela Rail transport consortium, one of South Africa’s most dynamic rail manufacturers, with a clear destination in mind: empowering the youth, one job at a time.
At first glance, Gibela Rail might appear to be just another state-of-the-art rail manufacturing company. But take a closer look and you’ll see something rare – an energetic hum of youthful determination. Here, over 800 young South Africans are not just employees – they are artisans of tomorrow, engineers of progress and proof that dreams still catch trains in this country.
“Working at Gibela Rail is not just a job,” says Lindiwe (24) a mechanical technician who joined Gibela straight out of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college.
“It’s a passport on purpose. I came here knowing how to fix things – now I’m helping build the future, “ she says. Gibela Rail’s story began with a R51 billion contract to build 600 new commuter trains for the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa).
But from the outset, the company understood that its real mission wasn’t just rolling stock – it was rolling opportunity.
With a recruitment model rooted in transformation, Gibela Rail set out to open doors for youth, especially those from historically disadvantaged backgrounds.
They partnered with TVET colleges, created apprenticeships and launched training programmes that bridge the yawning gap between qualification and employment.
The result? A rail sector that’s slowly but surely beginning to look like the country it serves.
“We believe young people should not just ride trains – they should build them, design them and lead the companies that run them,” says Gibela Rail’s human resources director, Ntokozo Dlamini.
Each year, hundreds of young South Africans walk into Gibela Rail’s factory gates not knowing they’re about to embark on a journey that will change their lives.
Some arrive through Gibela Rail’s youth training programmes, others through graduate internships and many via artisan apprenticeships.
Whether it’s welding, engineering, electrical systems or logistics, young people are being equipped not just with skills but with confidence.
Gibela Rail also offers bursaries, mentorships and even entrepreneurship support for those who dream of supplying the rail sector rather than simply working in it.
The company doesn’t just hand out jobs – it plants seeds.
“I was part of the welding programme,” says Thabo, 22. “Now, I train others. Gibela Rail didn’t just give me work – it gave me wings,” Thabo says.
Gibela Rail’s workforce is a symphony of firsts: the first woman in her family to become a technician. The first person in his township to earn a steady paycheck. The first generation to dream in blueprints, not barriers.
And as the country stares down the barrel of unemployment, especially among youth, Gibela Rail stands as a shining example of what happens when corporate commitment meets social responsibility.
Through every rivet, every chassis and every buzzing line of assembly, a bigger story is unfolding: a nation learning to bet on its young.
In South Africa, where more than half of the youth remain unemployed, the question isn’t just how we move people – it’s how we move barriers.
Gibela Rail may build trains but its real product is hope. So the next time you see a train gliding across the landscape, remember: it might be powered by electricity but it runs on something far stronger – youthful ambition, given a track to run on. Next stop is a train from Cape Town to Cairo in Egypt.
• Mbatha is an independent current affairs analyst
