Grahamstown's only Engen garage has doubled its staff quotient since revamping and re-opening the service station last week Tuesday 2 October.
Grahamstown's only Engen garage has doubled its staff quotient since revamping and re-opening the service station last week Tuesday 2 October.
"We've doubled our staff from 14 to 30 members now," said Managing Director Tschoops Sipuka. "Quite nice to be able to put bread on someone else's table."
Engen, at 14-18 Beaufort Street, officially opened its doors and petrol pumps for business again on Tuesday 2 October.
Although old staff members had a long wait since April to resume working, they're happy to be back and busy as ever.
"We've been bored of sitting in the location and doing nothing," said senior petrol attendant, Mandisi Mona. "Now we are back and the garage looks proper. We now have more space and a beautiful garage."
The renovations came after it was decided to upgrade the station from a standard Engen to a 1Plus station.
"1Plus is always better than your ordinary engine service station," Sipuka said.
General manager Cornell van Aarde explained that 1Plus stations have extra food facilities like a Steers, Debonairs or Corner Shop bakery. Ordinary Engens just have a shop selling items like chocolates, cool drinks and sweets.
It is thanks to the new convenience shop and bakery that the station now employs 16 more people.
One of the new cashiers, Thulelwa Hloyi, is glad to now work at Engen.
"I am happy to have a job here, the place is new and awesome. We are selling food, coffee and we will be running for 24 hours," she said.
The petrol station now also sells low-sulphur diesel. Previously it only supplied leaded replacement petrol and unleaded regular petrol.
See a map to the Beaufort Street service station here:
