South Africa’s automotive industry body has appointed Dr Mncane Mthunzi as chief executive with effect from 7 September 2026, ending an interim arrangement that began in April. Naamsa, which styles itself the Automotive Business Council, said the appointment comes as the global vehicle industry shifts towards new-energy models, new trade rules and fiercer competition for factory investment. President Peter van Binsbergen described the moment as one that will shape the sector’s structure and competitiveness for years.
Mthunzi’s brief is to represent a mixed membership of local assemblers, importers, retail original-equipment brands and medium- and heavy-commercial vehicle makers, and to keep Naamsa as their single public voice. The organisation also wants him to help set the conditions under which South Africa can hold, and then grow, its place in global vehicle and component production. Van Binsbergen said that work goes beyond running an association: it is about investment, jobs and industrial policy.
The new chief executive arrives with a turnaround and policy background rather than a long OEM career. He holds a PhD in economic inclusion from Wits, a master’s from UKZN and executive programmes from Harvard and GIBS. He has been strategy lead on the Presidency’s red-tape reduction project, chief operating officer at Edcon during its business rescue, a senior executive at Massmart and Massbuild, and a former president of the Black Management Forum and the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa.
| Indicator (latest official) | Figure |
|---|---|
| Share of GDP | 5.2% (3.3% manufacturing, 1.9% retail) |
| Share of manufacturing output (2025) | 23.8% |
| Vehicle and component exports (2025) | R291bn, 15.6% of national exports |
| Vehicle production (2025) | About 610,000–618,000 units |
| SA Automotive Masterplan 2035 production target | About 1.4 million units a year |
| Manufacturing jobs | 113,000 direct; about 498,000 with multipliers |
| August 2026 domestic sales | 57,898 units, up 11.4% year on year |
| August 2026 vehicle exports | 35,091 units, down 11.9% |
| NEV sales, first seven months of 2026 | 16,289 units |
Those numbers explain why the job is political as well as commercial. South Africa still accounts for about half of African vehicle production, and more than 70% of light vehicles built here are exported. The European Union and the United Kingdom took 62.8% of automotive export value in 2025. Yet production remains far below the masterplan target. In the second quarter of 2026, exports fell 5% and assembly employment slipped to 31,675 after 230 jobs were cut. Toyota and Ford bakkie exports were down 26.7% and 40.1% respectively in the first seven months of 2026. Vehicle shipments to the United States collapsed by 83.2% in 2025 after a 25% Section 232 tariff cancelled the practical benefit of Agoa, even though the preference scheme has been extended to the end of 2028.
Domestic demand tells a different story. New-vehicle sales have been running at 12-year highs, with Chinese brands taking a larger share of the showroom. Imported vehicles made up about 69% of 2025 sales, while local content has stuck near 38–40% against a 60% policy goal. Component makers say 15 plants have closed in two years. The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition has been reviewing the Automotive Production and Development Programme and the 2035 masterplan, with completion flagged for September 2026. Draft APDP2 changes would widen “standard materials” to include battery minerals from the SADC region. AfCFTA automotive rules of origin, adopted in February 2026, require 40% regional content for duty-free African trade.
Mthunzi said South Africa already has capable plants, suppliers, dealers and an export platform, but cannot rely on past success. He wants Naamsa to press government where policy, infrastructure, energy, skills and trade do not line up. Van Binsbergen said the industry needs a shared national aim rather than piecemeal responses. Strategic priorities listed by the council include protecting existing plants, winning new investment, faster localisation, the NEV shift, export growth, skills and transformation.
Shinny Gobiyeza, who acted as chief executive from April, returns to the chief operating officer role. The board thanked her for holding the organisation steady while it finished the search. Mthunzi now has to convert that brief into policy outcomes before the next round of global model and plant decisions is locked in.