Bert Wessels, executive chairman of Toyota South Africa, died of an aneurism on Monday. He was 58.
Bert Wessels, executive chairman of Toyota South Africa, died of an anearism (near his heart) on Monday. He was 58.
Funeral arrangements will be announced shortly.
Wessels was the son of the founder of Toyota South Africa, Dr Albert Wessels. He was educated at Grey College in Bloemfontein and obtained a BSc in mechanical engineering at the University of Cape Town.
He joined Toyota South Africa after his studies and spent 1969 working at Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan, studying production methods. On his return to South Africa he was involved in a number of manufacturing projects, including the commissioning of the heavy truck assembly plant in Prospecton, near Durban, in 1974.
Wessels was transferred to the Toyota Marketing Company as director of heavy trucks and buses in 1976 and was appointed marketing director and vice-chairman of Toyota SA in 1980. Four years later he became executive director of Toyota marketing company and in 1988 was appointed chief executive of Toyota SA.
In 1991 he was appointed executive chairman of Toyota SA and vice-chairman of its then holding company, Wesco Investments Limited, positions he held until his death.
A spokesman for Toyota SA said that Wessels was a “man of the people” and “well liked and respected, not only by those in his own group, but also in the motor industry at large”. He was deeply involved in initiatives such as the Motor Industry Development Programme (MIDP) and served several terms as president of the national association of automobile manufacturers of South Africa (Naamsa).
Over the years he built up very strong links with Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan and was one of the key players in the automotive giant taking a majority share in Toyota SA earlier this year. “His relationship with employees at Toyota South Africa was that of a father figure in a company that had grown from a family business,” the spokesman said.
Naamsa director Nico Vermeulen said the death of Wessels came “as a devastating shock to his colleagues and many friends in the South African auto industry”.
“Bert Wessels earned the respect of his colleagues as a person of outstanding business acumen, intelligence and integrity. He had a deep understanding of South Africa and its people and placed a high premium on social responsibility issues.
“Bert treated people as equals, with respect and had a gift of forming lasting friendships. He will also be remembered for his engaging sense of humour.
“The automotive industry has lost one of its finest leaders and Bert Wessels will be missed by those who knew him as a business colleague and a friend and will always occupy a pre-eminent position in the annals of the South African motor industry,” Vermeulen added.
Wessels is survived by his wife, Erica, and five children: Zanny, Zoe, Juan, Margiet and Albert, and two grandchildren.