By Aurelia Mbokazi
For almost two decades, Toyota South Africa Motors has marked Women’s Month by bringing together women who contribute to the country’s motoring industry.
The annual Women in Auto gathering has become one of those invitations we genuinely look forward to. It offers women working in automotive media a rare opportunity to step away from deadlines, launches and reviews, and spend meaningful time in one another’s company.
This year, just over 20 women from across South Africa gathered for two days centred on the theme of the four seasons, with each one represented by a Toyota model launched during the year.
The Journey Begins
Our experience began at OR Tambo International Airport, where a line-up of new Toyota models awaited us. Among them were the bZ4X, RAV4, Hilux, Land Cruiser FJ and Land Cruiser 300 Hybrid.
We drove out to Ground the Venue in Muldersdrift for lunch at a beautiful countryside restaurant before returning to Johannesburg and checking into Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff.
Soon afterwards, we gathered for the hotel’s celebrated high tea. The experience carried subtle Japanese influences, bringing Toyota’s heritage into an afternoon filled with delicate pastries, beautifully presented teas, conversation and laughter.
A car for every season
During her talk, Refilwe Ramatlhodi Ndlovu, TSAM’s Corporate Communications Manager, used four Toyota models to reflect the different seasons women move through in life.
Summer was represented by the RAV4, a vehicle associated with adventure, freedomand balance. It spoke to the woman learning that she is allowed to have both purpose and joy, and that a fulfilling life can hold work, rest and adventure.
Autumn belonged to the Hilux. As a season of harvest, it represented resilience, maturity and the strength that comes from having made it through difficult times. Like the Hilux, which carries heavy loads and keeps showing up, it honoured the women who have become foundations for their families, teams and communities.
Winter was embodied by the Land Cruiser, a nameplate built to continue where roads end. It represented women navigating loss, retrenchment, uncertainty or the challenge of starting again. Refilwe reminded us that courage is not the absence of fear, but the decision to keep moving despite it.
Spring belonged to the all-electric bZ4X. Quiet yet bold, it represented innovation, renewal and the courage to begin again, whether that means returning to university, changing careers or starting a business with little more than an idea and a data bundle.
Most women, Ramatlhodi Ndlovu said, will experience all four seasons: spring when we begin, summer when we find balance, winter when we fight and autumn when our strength begins to sustain others.
More than a beautiful gathering
That evening, dressed for a cocktail dinner, we continued the conversations overanother memorable meal. The following morning brought a relaxed breakfast before we returned to the cars for the drive back to the airport.
Yes, there was beautiful food, a luxurious setting and an opportunity to experience Toyota’s newest vehicles. But Women in Auto has always meant more than that.
It creates a space for women who were once a small minority in motoring to connect, encourage one another and fill one another’s cups. Nearly two decades after it began, that sense of belonging remains its greatest gift.
