Toyota South Africa Motors’ (TSAM) fight against the spread of COVID-19 in our country, and indeed in the province of KwaZulu-Natal where most of our staff reside, remains unwavering. Our commitment to curbing the spread of coronavirus as well as its ramifications to the local economy is manifested in different projects and various initiatives – the launch of #ToyotaReach last month is the latest.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has also become a familiar metric of how organisations across the world interact with stakeholders and communities. Toyota has consistently communicated that it is – first and foremost a corporate citizen – above all else. For TSAM, the value of being a good corporate citizen goes beyond the satisfaction that comes with providing philanthropic support: it is being part of the community.

However, the outbreak of COVID-19 has transformed the way billions of people live and work across the world. This unchartered territory, where we all find ourselves, has inspired both fear and hope – forcing us to practise social distancing while simultaneously bringing us closer together. The role played by CSR in bringing business, governments and communities together in the ongoing scenario of the spread of COVID-19 cannot be understated. TSAM’s recent announcement that it was pledging R15 million towards fighting the spread of coronavirus in the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) is a culmination of CSR taking lead in corporate citizenship.

Other CSR-related initiatives launched by Toyota since the outbreak of COVID-19 include the donation of more than 65 000 litres of sanitiser to the taxi industry as well as the provision of thousands of face shields – manufactured by TSAM – to various health institutions in KZN.

However, despite this being a time of great uncertainty, TSAM has also confirmed that it is forging ahead with the investment commitments it made to the local economy prior to the COVID-19 epidemic.

With the help of autolive.co.za, TSAM has compiled a repertoire of some of its key CSR initiatives as well as articles on how the organisation is navigating the COVID-19 storm. Please click on the link to see the full report: http://www.autolive.co.za/newsletters/autolive_Toyota.pdf