Toyota SA Executive Chairperson, Dr Johan van Zyl, has died of COVID-19-related complications in a Pretoria hospital. He was 63.
Van Zyl was born in Springs in Gauteng in June 1958 and had a long career with the auto manufacturer, having started at Toyota South Africa Motors in 1993.
He was appointed as CEO of Toyota SA in 2003. In 2013, he was promoted to become CEO of Toyota in Africa.
In 2015, he was then appointed as CEO of Toyota Motor Europe until his retirement in early 2021.
CEO of Isuzu Motors South Africa, Billy Tom, says: “The passing of Dr Van Zyl is a great loss to the automotive industry, as he not only contributed to the success of the Toyota both locally and internationally but he played a pivotal role in both growing and evolving the automotive industry as well.”
“I would like to extend my sincere condolences of Isuzu Motors SA to Dr Van Zyl’s family and his friends and colleagues at Toyota South Africa.”
