Publications
Partners
IT is with great sadness that I write of the passing of Business Connexion (BCX) [JSE:BCA] CEO Leetile Benjamin Mophatlane.
Mophatlane passed away on the afternoon of Wednesday 11 June 2014, following cardiac arrest.
He leaves a great legacy in the business fraternity. Many people in the country and on the continent are direct beneficiaries of his wonderful bequest of building BCX into SA’s leading IT company, and he was on his way to making it a true Pan-African ICT company.
What he leaves behind will surpass his name for generations to come.
I have known Mophatlane for over 11 years. When I first met him in 2003 (while working as a junior reporter for Business Report newspaper), he was being carefully mentored by Peter Watt, the former CEO of BCX. Watt believed in Mophatlane, his twin brother Isaac and their business partner Nkenke Kekana.
He had distinct qualities as a leader. He was friendly, approachable, engaging and possessed a warm personality.
He dedicated his life to helping others succeed.
His truest legacy is not the words we will write about him, but the way he led his great and fulfilling life – with credibility and a big heart for the human race.
I remember how in early 2013, when I bumped into him and Isaac at King Shaka Airport in Durban, Mophatlane encouraged me to go back into media. He said: "Gugz, your voice is needed in the media."
I obliged, left global mining giant Rio Tinto a few months later, and started a dream that had been troubling me. TechFinancials.co.za was born.
Recently during BCX’s result presentation, when I asked him what it was like to run one of the largest ICT firms in Africa, Mophatlane made the humble response: “In a country where, let’s face it, there are not a lot of black CEOs out there... I have also learnt to become a better CEO. It’s also credit to the team.”
He was a real team player and a businessman with great ethics. This even rubbed off on to the company.
When I asked him what differentiates BCX as a corporate citizen, he said: “Our focus has always been on service delivery. We are seen as a business that is ethical.”
To me, Mophatlane leaves behind the ideal to always strive to live life with an unquenchable desire to be ethical in everything you do.
He articulated his vision when he was interviewed by Entrepreneur magazine: “Our vision was to create a business that was more than just a small IT shop - we wanted it to have longevity and to provide employment for people. We wanted to leave a legacy.”
His public profile earned him his great reputation.
But for all Mophatlane’s greatness as a businessman and entrepreneur, he was also an extraordinary personality, which is rare to find these days.
To those who knew him, as it was my privilege and honour, he was a great soul who knew the ICT industry like the palm of his hand.
He was a smart, sharp-witted leader and a humble individual prepared to share information, as well as being a good listener.
To showcase his sharp mind, he managed to take advantage of the opportunities created by our first democratic elections.
He told Entrepreneur magazine: “We were savvy enough to take advantage of the opportunities that came to us as a result of political change in the country, and to leverage the innovative new technology that was coming to the fore. It was a perfect combination of circumstances. But we were also smart enough to deliver.”
He leaves a great company worth close to R3bn.
His company has expressed heartfelt sympathy and condolences to his wife Abena Saah and their three children as well as his mother, sister, twin Isaac and the entire Mophatlane family. “Benjamin will be remembered for his entrepreneurial spirit, enthusiasm and exceptionally warm personality, which are aspiring attributes for us all,” said BCX.
Mophatlane, you are an irreplaceable brother.
I will miss you.
In remembrance, I will close with a passage from a song by ColdPlay: “Those who are dead are not dead. They’re just living in my head. And since I fell for that spell I am living there as well. Oh..Time is so short and I’m sure. There must be something more.”
Robala ka kgotso Ntate Mophatlane!
- Fin24
*Gugu Lourie is a former correspondent for Thomson Reuters, Business Report, Finweek magazine and Fin24 (writing a blog titled 'Googled'). He is the editor of techfinancials.co.za. Views expressed are his own. Follow him on #twitter @LourieGugu
Mophatlane passed away on the afternoon of Wednesday 11 June 2014, following cardiac arrest.
He leaves a great legacy in the business fraternity. Many people in the country and on the continent are direct beneficiaries of his wonderful bequest of building BCX into SA’s leading IT company, and he was on his way to making it a true Pan-African ICT company.
What he leaves behind will surpass his name for generations to come.
I have known Mophatlane for over 11 years. When I first met him in 2003 (while working as a junior reporter for Business Report newspaper), he was being carefully mentored by Peter Watt, the former CEO of BCX. Watt believed in Mophatlane, his twin brother Isaac and their business partner Nkenke Kekana.
He had distinct qualities as a leader. He was friendly, approachable, engaging and possessed a warm personality.
He dedicated his life to helping others succeed.
His truest legacy is not the words we will write about him, but the way he led his great and fulfilling life – with credibility and a big heart for the human race.
I remember how in early 2013, when I bumped into him and Isaac at King Shaka Airport in Durban, Mophatlane encouraged me to go back into media. He said: "Gugz, your voice is needed in the media."
I obliged, left global mining giant Rio Tinto a few months later, and started a dream that had been troubling me. TechFinancials.co.za was born.
Recently during BCX’s result presentation, when I asked him what it was like to run one of the largest ICT firms in Africa, Mophatlane made the humble response: “In a country where, let’s face it, there are not a lot of black CEOs out there... I have also learnt to become a better CEO. It’s also credit to the team.”
He was a real team player and a businessman with great ethics. This even rubbed off on to the company.
When I asked him what differentiates BCX as a corporate citizen, he said: “Our focus has always been on service delivery. We are seen as a business that is ethical.”
To me, Mophatlane leaves behind the ideal to always strive to live life with an unquenchable desire to be ethical in everything you do.
He articulated his vision when he was interviewed by Entrepreneur magazine: “Our vision was to create a business that was more than just a small IT shop - we wanted it to have longevity and to provide employment for people. We wanted to leave a legacy.”
His public profile earned him his great reputation.
But for all Mophatlane’s greatness as a businessman and entrepreneur, he was also an extraordinary personality, which is rare to find these days.
To those who knew him, as it was my privilege and honour, he was a great soul who knew the ICT industry like the palm of his hand.
He was a smart, sharp-witted leader and a humble individual prepared to share information, as well as being a good listener.
To showcase his sharp mind, he managed to take advantage of the opportunities created by our first democratic elections.
He told Entrepreneur magazine: “We were savvy enough to take advantage of the opportunities that came to us as a result of political change in the country, and to leverage the innovative new technology that was coming to the fore. It was a perfect combination of circumstances. But we were also smart enough to deliver.”
He leaves a great company worth close to R3bn.
His company has expressed heartfelt sympathy and condolences to his wife Abena Saah and their three children as well as his mother, sister, twin Isaac and the entire Mophatlane family. “Benjamin will be remembered for his entrepreneurial spirit, enthusiasm and exceptionally warm personality, which are aspiring attributes for us all,” said BCX.
Mophatlane, you are an irreplaceable brother.
I will miss you.
In remembrance, I will close with a passage from a song by ColdPlay: “Those who are dead are not dead. They’re just living in my head. And since I fell for that spell I am living there as well. Oh..Time is so short and I’m sure. There must be something more.”
Robala ka kgotso Ntate Mophatlane!
- Fin24
*Gugu Lourie is a former correspondent for Thomson Reuters, Business Report, Finweek magazine and Fin24 (writing a blog titled 'Googled'). He is the editor of techfinancials.co.za. Views expressed are his own. Follow him on #twitter @LourieGugu
