Starting on Monday 11 April, the province of KZN was hit hard by torrential rainfall and extreme flooding. Subsequently, officials and members of the public have started taking stock of the damage wreaked by the storm. Amongst those that experienced great financial losses, was Toyota SA, with all operations halted after the heavy flooding of their KZN factory.
Added to the list of setbacks for Toyota SA
The Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) plant is based in Prospecton, south of Durban. It employs around 7200 people to manufacture various models of Toyota vehicles. The factory has faced multiple setbacks during recent years, with the current floods putting the cherry on the cake. First, the factory saw financial loss after the heavy rains in October 2017. Then the Covid-19 pandemic hit, slowing production for the entire industry. Following this, the July 2021 unrest in KZN forced a temporary shut down of operations for the factory.
Now, after having assembled over 10 000 vehicles ready for sale, the Toyota factory is facing heavy flooding. Earlier today, 13 April, manager of corporate marketing Mzo Witbooi stated, “TSAM’s operations have been suspended since Monday evening. Efforts geared towards a safe start-up – after water has been cleared – are in place”.
“Less than a week after Toyota announced that 10 198 light commercial vehicles were either built or assembled at the Prospecton Plant in Durban, images of the flooded plant emerged.”
Motor Industry Staff Association (MISA) CEO Martlé Keyter
