Benjamin Mophatlane, CEO of Business Connexion, has died.

Mophatlane, 41 years old, succumbed to a heart attack yesterday afternoon during a meeting with Telkom.

Together with his twin brother Isaac, Mophatlane formed what was then known as Business Connection in 1996. The company was merged with Seattle Solutions in 2001.

Mophatlane served as MD until the company merged with Comparex Africa in 2004 and was renamed Business Connexion. He was appointed to the board in February 2004, and served as deputy CEO until 2007 when he became CEO of Business Connexion.

Mophatlane was well-known within the ICT industry and has received numerous accolades.

Tony Ruiters, chairman of BCX states: “We have lost an irreplaceable brother, colleague, leader, husband and father. Ben was a leader with a big heart and who considered wisely decisions in all facets of his life. He had impeccable judgement and most of all, was a man of deep integrity and honour. His death is a great tragic loss to the company and the South African business community.”

Mophtlane was recently appointed as a member of the advisory board of the Collaborative Stakeholder Movement (CSM), a body dedicated to identifying the constraints that undermine the South African ICT asset base and finding solutions and opportunities for the industry.

The CSM was due to hold its inaugural meeting, hosted by Mophatlane at BCX, tomorrow. The event has been postponed.

“The passing of Benjamin is a major tragedy for the ICT industry,” says CSM executive Martin Humphries.

As one of the largest ICT and cloud service providers on the JSE, Business Connexion has offices in the UK and Dubai as well as in South Africa. It employs more than 6 700 people in Africa and generates revenue in excess of R6-billion per annum.

Business Connexion is a significant player in the South African ICT services market with strong capabilities in managed IT Infrastructure, including data centres and application development.

Last month it was announced that Telkom is to make a cash offer to buy out all of Business Connexion’s shares. The value of the deal will be about R2,7-billion.