MAN Truck & Bus South Africa (MAN SA) has become the first automotive company in the Southern African Development Community region to locally manufacture electric buses, following a R48 million investment in green technology and skills development.
The company unveiled its first locally assembled electric bus, the MAN Lion’s Explorer E, on Tuesday at its Pinetown plant in KwaZulu-Natal.
This facility is now the first CO₂-neutral production site within the MAN group globally, and possibly even the first in the African automotive industry to achieve this milestone – five years ahead of the German parent company’s 2030 sustainability target.
The launch was attended by Deputy Minister of Transport Mkhuleko Hlengwa, KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Musa Zondi, eThekwini Mayor, Cyril Xaba, and diplomats. Also present was Riaz Paruk, CEO of local transport company Stabus, who signed an agreement to buy 100 electric buses from MAN SA.
Jan Aichinger, managing director of MAN Automotive SA, which operates MAN SA, said the company was committed to reducing its global carbon footprint and acknowledged the transport sector’s significant contribution to global emissions.
“Our trucks and buses are essential for industrialisation and economic growth, but they also contribute to global warming, noise, health issues, and road fatalities,” said Aichinger.
“We take full responsibility for our products, not just during production but also after they are sold.”
He said the Pinetown plant now produced more energy than it consumed, thanks to solar panels installed on the roof that had capacity to generate 800 megawatts of energy per year. The excess, around 484 megawatts annually, is fed into the city grid.
A similar system has been implemented at MAN’s Olifantsfontein bus plant in Gauteng and at other company facilities across South Africa. The nationwide roll-out of solar infrastructure has cut MAN’s CO₂ emissions by more than 2 200 tonnes annually.
In addition to upgrading facilities, the company is investing in skills development, training 60 to 80 apprentices annually to support the growing e-mobility sector.
The first Lion’s Explorer E-bus was piloted in Cape Town in 2023. The chassis is built in Pinetown and the body is assembled in Olifantsfontein using 95% locally sourced components. Two buses are currently operating in South Africa, and a third has been sent to MAN’s plant in Turkey for endurance testing.
Transport Deputy Minister Hlengwa praised MAN SA’s investment in green technology.
“This plant is more than bricks and machinery – it is a monument to what is possible. MAN is helping position South Africa as a leader in sustainable innovation.”
Zondi described the project as a reflection of South Africa’s growing industrial and climate-conscious capabilities, especially ahead of the country’s G20 presidency later this year.
He said the Lion’s Explorer E was a locally developed solution with global relevance.
Hlengwa welcomed the investment in electric bus manufacturing, saying the transport sector should lead the way in the transition to green energy.
He said the department had committed to cutting national emissions to between 350 and 420 megatonnes of CO₂ by 2030, with the transport sector identified as a key area for transformation.
