A die-hard Blue Bulls fan, Benjamin Mophatlane is still on a high over his team`s thrashing of the Lions in this year`s Currie Cup final. "The drought is over!" he says gleefully, "I`m ecstatic!"
The fact that he didn`t actually attend the final at Ellis Park had nothing to do with any fears that his team might not make it. "I went to my uncle`s 70th birthday party instead. Sure, it was a sacrifice, but it was worth it."
Family is a recurring theme in Mophatlane`s life. "Family is very important to me and we get along very well," he says of his parents, sister and twin brother Isaac. (Twins is another recurring theme - he has a twin, so does his mother, and there are more twins on both his father`s and mother`s side.)
Having gone through school together, first at Ikageng in Pretoria then at CBC in Kimberley, where they were both prefects in matric, the Mophatlane brothers remain close. Close enough to have started a company together, then called Business Connection, and to have worked side by side for seven years. "He drives sales and strategy, and is the chief operating officer. As CEO, the buck stops with me and I`m the one on the line," he says, explaining the filial division of responsibilities.
[VIDEO]Together, they`re on a winning streak. In its first year, the company, one of the first black IT companies in the country, earned revenues of R100 000. Seven years on, and now called Business Connexion following a merger in 2001 with Seattle Solutions, annual revenue has soared to R300 million, with 140 employees and offices in Cape Town, Rivonia, Pretoria and Port Elizabeth.
It also happens to be the only company in SA with triple Microsoft Gold Partner status (for enterprise systems, e-commerce and support). What`s more, Business Connexion has also been Microsoft`s channel partner of the year for the Africa region for two years in a row. "We live, eat and breathe Microsoft technology," says Mophatlane, a BCom graduate from the University of Pretoria.
[VIDEO]Not yet 30, Mophatlane has far from achieved all his ambitions. "Personally, I want to contribute to this country," he says, hauling out a business card carrying the `Proudly South African` logo. "I want to leave a legacy to my society, to change the mindset of people and show that young black professionals can succeed in IT. A lot of our success is due to the fact that we`ve had the opportunity to thrive in this new SA. It`s up to my generation to pass the torch on."
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