A day in the life of a petrol attendant in South Africa

From waking up at 4 a.m. to 12-hour long shifts, there is far more to working as a petrol attendant than what most South African motorists perceive.

Petrol attendants play an essential role in the functioning of petrol stations by filling up customers’ cars, as opposed to requiring them to do this themselves, as is seen in other countries.

They also go a step further and offer the entire pit-stop package, which includes washing customers’ windows and windscreens, checking water and oil, adjusting tyre pressure, and even plugging a punctured tyre. 

This not only simplifies the process of topping up for motorists but also adds an additional level of security at the fuel pumps.

According to data from Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS), roughly 140,000 people are employed as petrol attendants in South Africa.

As of 2020, a quarter of all petrol attendants were based in Gauteng, the most in the country, followed by KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape.

The latest data from the National Administration Traffic Information System (Natis) shows that Gauteng had the highest number of self-propelled vehicles at 4.5 million, out of South Africa’s 11.7 million.

The Western Cape followed with 1.9 million, KZN with 1.6 million, and the Eastern Cape with 781,888.

However, petrol attendants face an existential threat with the arrival of battery electric vehicles.

While fully electric vehicle sales account for less than 5% of all sales in South Africa, major importers of vehicles manufactured in South Africa, such as those in Europe, have begun demanding a shift towards EVs.

The European Union recently announced that, as of 2035, it will ban the import of vehicles with internal combustion engines, which will put local producers at a crossroads.

This may take some time to reflect in the local market. However, the cost of EVs in South Africa is expected to decrease if manufacturers begin building them locally.

“The transition to electric vehicles will significantly affect petrol station workers, whose employment is largely dependent on the sale of liquid fuels,” the TIPS report argued.

“Without adequate preparation, more than 140,000 people stand to lose their jobs between now and the final shift to full use of electric vehicles.”

A day in the life

Fifty-eight-year-old Solly, a petrol attendant in Gauteng, shared a day in his life with Newsday.

He explained that he wakes up at four o’clock every morning. Once up and ready for the day, he prepares to leave by 5 o’clock, either taking a taxi to work or walking.

Fortunately, he lives close to where his work, roughly 3.3 kilometres, so if he needs to walk, it only takes about 35 minutes.

After arriving at work, Solly prepares for his shift, which starts at 6 am. He says that the typical shift is from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

However, every employee is required to work a night shift, from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., twice a month.

“Once I start my shift, I work for two hours until 8 a.m., when I take breakfast. This is also when I take my medication because I am a diabetic,” Solly said.

“Then from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. is my lunch break. If I’m working until six, then that’s my resting time done. I’ll work until I leave.”

Once he leaves work, Solly says he gets back home at about 6:30 p.m. and tries to get into bed by 8 p.m. so he can get a full eight hours of sleep.

He adds that there is also a shift from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., which can often be inconvenient when commuting back home, especially if he needs to walk.

Solly added that several of his colleagues sleep outside the petrol station if they are on this shift, as many are expected to take the 12-hour shift from 6 a.m. the next morning.

In his case, he says that he will go to bed at 12 a.m. and only get four hours of sleep before starting the next shift.

Should he be unfortunate enough not to be able to catch a taxi, he says that he would walk, which poses a risk to his personal security.

Solly explains that he gets paid every two weeks as opposed to every month. The amount earned over the period fluctuates because he does not work a set number of hours per week.

“They say that you must work for at least 45 hours, but I try to aim for between 108 and 112,” he said.

“We earn R44.06 an hour, so I usually walk away with between R4,000 and R4,500 every 14 days.”

According to the Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice & Dignity Group, the cost of a basic nutritious diet for a family of five costs R4,661.22 as of September 2025.

As for off days, Solly says that he gets a day off for every four days that he works, which comes to 24 working days per month.

“I have told my children that they must focus on getting a job in the police or as a teacher because I don’t want them to work as hard as I do in this job. It’s too much work, especially at my age,” Solly said.