By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
File:Johan van Zyl, president of Toyota in South Africa and the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa, says that government support has been critical for the expansion of the industry. Photo Credit: John Fraser/IPS.
Dr Johan van Zyl, the executive chairperson of Toyota South Africa Motors has died at the age of 63.
Van Zyl, who was born in Springs in Gauteng in June 1958, had a long career with the auto manufacturer – having started at Toyota South Africa Motors in 1993 as the director for the sales and dealer network.
He was appointed CEO of Toyota SA in 2003. A decade later, he was promoted to become CEO of Toyota in Africa.
In recent years, he served as managing officer of Toyota Motor Corporation and in 2015 he was appointed CEO of Toyota Motor Europe – until his retirement in early 2021.
Affectionately known as “The Doc”, van Zyl was described as having an “uncanny sense” of knowing what consumers want, Toyota SA said in a statement on Saturday.
“But for all his successes in the corporate world, what ‘The Doc’ will be remembered for the most was his humanity – his ability to remember the name of each and every person he came into contact with, his self-deprecating sense of humour that immediately put everyone at ease, and his comprehensive wealth of general knowledge,” the statement read.
Current CEO of Toyota SA, Andrew Kirby said that van Zyl was a “much loved and admired leader”, who would be remembered for his leadership and success of the company and Toyota Motor Europe.
“He was also an amazing human being – for those of us who were fortunate to work closely with Johan, we will always remember him as an aspiring mentor, who had a story to share on any topic and who truly cared about people. His tireless efforts for our company, industry and country will be sorely missed.”
Van Zyl is survived by his wife Santie, his two daughters, sons-in-law and his grandchildren.