Top SA businessman Thys Visser dies in car accident

Remgro Limited made the following announcement on the death of its CEO Thys Visser in a car accident: “The Remgro Board announces with profound regret and sadness the death of its Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Thys Visser. Thys (58) passed away following a car accident on 26 April 2012.

“In his 32 years with the group he left an indelible mark on the Company, its investments, the employees of the group and the South African business landscape at large. He was instrumental in building Remgro into a multi-billion Rand investment company with an array of diverse investments, creating enormous value for shareholders.

“The board and employees of Remgro wish to honour Thys for his leadership, vision, integrity and esteemed contribution to the Company and express their heartfelt sympathy and condolences to his wife Amanda and children, Matthys and Riette.

“Thys also served as chairman of Rainbow Chicken Limited, as a non-executive director of RMB Holdings Limited and FirstRand Limited, as well as a director on the boards of numerous listed companies, including Mediclinic International Limited and Distell Group Limited.

Johann Rupert, chairman of Remgro, stated: “We have lost an irreplaceable colleague. Thys was a wise man with impeccable judgement but, most of all, a man of deep integrity. He was a friend to every one of us, a family man, father and husband. His death is a great tragedy.”

Remgro will make an announcement regarding Visser’s successor in due course.

Stellenbosch University made the following announcement on learning of the death of Thys Visser: “He was an incredible source of strength and support for the future-centred positioning of the University and he was always prepared to serve us with his wisdom and sound advice on strategic matters of the University in his quiet, firm manner. His death leaves a large void and we will sadly miss his personification of a dedicated alumnus,” says Prof Russel Botman, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of Stellenbosch University.

Prof Botman also expressed his condolences with the Visser family. He thanked them for unselfishly sharing and supporting Mr Visser in his service to the university. During his last years Mr Visser was the chairperson of the Stellenbosch Trust and in this capacity he played a pivotal role in the governance of University funds. Under his leadership significant Trust resources were allocated to capacity building in the University; to promote the interests of the institution internationally and to substantially strengthen the University’s fundraising efforts under the banner of the HOPE Project.