Johan served as electrical engineer in various managerial positions within Eskom. He started as an Electrical Protection Specialist for the Northern and Eastern Cape region, responsible for power system protection and control engineering, including DC systems, commissioning, and technical design. He later served as Information Technology Manager, overseeing IT operations, mainframe systems, end-user computing, and systems development. From 1989-1993, was seconded to Kwanolec as General Manager, where he led residential electrification projects, including planning, feasibility studies, design, and implementation.