Cape Town - Volkswagen South Africa has issued a statement on the passing of its veteran motorsport driver Gugu Zulu.
The 38-year-old passed away on Monday July 18 while attempting to summit Mount Kilimanjaro as part of the TREK4MANDELA campaign.
Motorsport personality
Affectionately known as the "the fastest brother in Africa", Gugu joined Volkswagen as a works driver in 2005. He participated in the S1600 and S2000 classes.
Gugu, his wife and daughter were announced as Tiguan ambassadors by the German automaker earlier in 2016.
READ: 'We’ve lost a true motorsport gem' - Wheels24 remembers #GuguZulu
At the time of his death, Gugu was preparing for the GTC Africa Racing Series, which would have seen him participating on August 9 at the Kyalami race track.
Thomas Schaefer, chairman and managing director of Volkswagen Group South Africa, said: "Our condolences go out to his wife Letshego, their daughter Lelethu and the entire Zulu Family.
"We are deeply saddened to have lost Gugu who in so many ways embodied the new South Africa, a man with compassion, drive and a desire to be the best at everything that he did. He was a perfect fit with Volkswagen and we will miss him on both a professional and personal level."
We’re saddened by the loss of the fastest brother in our Volkswagen family. Forever in our hearts. #GuguZulu pic.twitter.com/wvSt5t7OzK
— VolkswagenSA (@VolkswagenSA) July 18, 2016
Apart from motorsport, Zulu was an avid cyclist and his friends as well as those in the cycling community have come together to organise a memorial ride in his honour.
Zulu's friends from the ChilliLane Mountain Bike Group and Diepsloot Mountain Bike Academy will host the memorial ride set to take place in Lanseria on Saturday, July 23.