Business Talk — RMI’s Louis van Huyssteen discusses the rise of electric vehicles
In this Business Talk with Michael Avery interview, Louis van Huyssteen unpacks how the automotive aftermarket is evolving in the face of electric and hybrid vehicles.
Van Huyssteen is the National Training Director at the Retail Motor Industry Organisation (RMI), which represents South Africa’s retail automotive aftermarket sector.
Alongside his work for the RMI, he has been involved in training and skills development for over three decades across several other organisations.
This includes the Manufacturing, Engineering, and Related Services SETA (merSETA) Accounting Authority, for which he served from 2020 to 2025.
He was then reappointed in 2026 by the Honourable Minister of Higher Education and Training for the 2025 to 2030 term.
Van Huyssteen also represents businesses on the National Apprenticeship and Artisan Development Advisory Body (NAADAB).
NAADAB is a statutory body established by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET).
Within Business Unity South Africa, he serves on the SubCET (the Subcommittee for Education and Training), too.
Van Huyssteen is also currently involved in the development of South Africa’s first Electromobility Occupational Skills Programme, a nationally recognised qualification which equips technicians with the specialised skills required to service and maintain electric and hybrid vehicles.
The interview
In this Business Talk interview, van Huyssteen discusses how the automotive aftermarket must prepare for electric and hybrid vehicles and highlights the changes already underway at workshops and dealerships.
Van Huyssteen explains the problems businesses will encounter if they don’t start up-skilling their employees, and the steps RMI has taken in this skills development process.
He also unpacks the significance of RMI’s involvement in South Africa’s first occupational skills programmes for EV and hybrid vehicle technicians, as well as the importance of nationally standardised, accredited training.
Van Huyssteen concludes the interview by sharing more about the important partnerships RMI has with global leaders to ensure all training is of world class standard.
Watch the interview with Louis van Huyssteen below.
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