Louise Selekane, CEO of South Africa's Diamond & Precious Metals Regulator and former CEO of the South African Diamond Board, was killed in a car crash outside of Johannesburg on Saturday.

According to local reports, a car that did not stop at an intersection hit the car Selekane was in.

The minerals and energy department said in a statement that the country had lost a diamond guru.

"This death has robbed South African of a guru [of] precious metals and diamonds," ministry spokesman Bheki Khumalo said.

Selekane was considered a reasonable voice and a man of action that was at once considered a friend of the diamond industry while carefully guarding the country's interests.