Lenamile Isaac Mophatlane: The man behind the tech success story
Lenamile Isaac Mophatlane is one of South Africa's most well-known businesspeople. The former CEO of Business Connexion (BCX) and Telkom's reconstituted enterprise unit managed and ushered BCX to unexplored elevations after his brother/cofounder's sudden death in 2014. Find out how Isaac and his twin brother built an IT company worth R2.67 billion from scratch.
Source: UGC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Key takeaways
- Profile summary
- Lenamile Isaac Mophatlane's biography
- Lenamile Isaac Mophatlane's age
- Educational background
- What does Isaac Mophatlane do?
- Isaac Mophatlane's new job
- Lenamile Isaac Mophatlane's net worth
- What caused the death of Isaac Mophatlane's twin brother?
- Who is the husband of Mrs. Mops?
- How did Mpumi and Isaac Mophatlane meet?
- Did Isaac Mophatlane have children?
- What happened to Mpumi Mops' house?
- Who is the husband of Mpumi Mophatlane Mops?
- Isaac Mophatlane's stolen shares
- Facts about Isaac Mophatlane
Key takeaways
- Isaac Mophatlane and his late twin brother, Benjamin Mophatlane, co-founded Business Connexion (BCX) in 1996.
- The company has grown into one of the county's leading ICT firms.
- Isaac also co-founded the Randvest Group in 2017. The company focuses on tech and other sectors.
- He is married to reality TV star Mpumi Mophatlane.
- The couple has three kids, Marang, Khumo, and Sekai.
Profile summary
Full name | Lenamile Isaac Mophatlane |
Gender | Male |
Birthdate | 12 May 1973 |
Zodiac sign | Taurus |
Age | 52 years (as of 2025) |
Birthplace | Kimberley, South Africa |
Residence | South Africa |
Nationality | South African |
Ethnicity | African |
Sexuality | Straight |
Eye color | Brown |
Hair color | Black |
Marital status | Married |
Spouse | Mpumi Mophatlane |
Children | 3 |
Twin brother | Leetile Benjamin Mophatlane |
Education | Christian Brothers College and the University of Pretoria |
Profession | IT specialist and business person |
Lenamile Isaac Mophatlane's biography
Lenamile Mophatlane is a South African IT mogul. He grew up with his twin brother, Leetile Benjamin Mophatlane, in Kimberley, where they attended Christian Brothers College.
Lenamile Isaac Mophatlane's age
The business mogul is 52 years old as of 2025. Isaac was born on 12 May 1973 in South Africa.
Educational background
After attending Christian Brothers College, Isaac and his twin brother graduated from the University of Pretoria.
Source: Original
What does Isaac Mophatlane do?
Isaac and his twin brother, Benjamin, co-founded Business Connection on 1 September 1996, six months into writing chartered accountancy articles at KPMG. Business Connection would later become one of South Africa's biggest ICT companies.
After forming the company, the brothers entered a partnership with Connection Group, which invested R4 million in their new company.
Benjamin became Connection Group's empowerment partner. Three years later, Connection Group encountered financial difficulties and sold 50% of its stake to a global firm called Getronics.
Getronics later faced problems, forcing the Mophatlanes to merge their business with Seattle Solutions in 2001.
The merger created Business Connexion (BCX), Microsoft's largest software license partner in South Africa. At this point, Benjamin dropped the CEO position and worked as the company's MD until 2004.
The brothers later merged their business with Peter Watt's company, Comparex, and launched a 6,000-person company called Business Connexion (BCX). BCX was listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) in the same year.
Benjamin was a deputy CEO for three years before becoming CEO in 2007. After Benjamin's death, Isaac took up the CEO position in 2014.
He was announced as CEO of Telkom's reconstituted enterprise unit to oversee Telkom Business's integration with Business Connexion. Telkom acquired BCX for R2.67 billion.
When Lenamile left BCX in May 2017, BBC's statement implied he was forced out of the company. Additionally, Sello Rasethaba (the then-BBC Chairman) alleged that Mophatlane's departure attacked black excellence.
The IT mogul dismissed their concerns, stating that what happened had nothing to do with his race. He also said that BCX never attacked individuals or black excellence.
He had left as a friend and could work at Telkom anytime. Jonas Bogoshi took over BCX's CEO office in June 2018, while Ian Russell (the then-chief Administration Officer) replaced Isaac's position at Telkom.
Source: UGC
Isaac co-founded Randvest Capital and is a member of the board of the following organizations:
- Exxaro Resources Ltd
- Bothomed LLC
- Catholic Education Investment Co.
- Crossfin Technology Holdings Ltd.
- Electronic Industries Federation of South Africa
- Black Information Technology Forum
- Black Management Forum
Isaac Mophatlane's new job
Mustek, a computer hardware manufacturer in South Africa, appointed actress Mpumi Mophatlane's husband, Lenamile Isaac, as an independent non-executive director, effective 1 September 2024. His appointment comes after the resignation of Reverend Vukile Mehana as Mustek's board chairman in May 2024.
Lenamile Isaac Mophatlane's net worth
Online sources estimate Mophatlane's worth to be $50 million. He received a total remuneration of R11.7 million when leaving Telkom in 2017.
Isaac Mophatlane's salary at Telkom was R5.8 million. He also received an incentive bonus of R5.3 million, R520,000 in fringe benefits, and other benefits.
How did Isaac Mophatlane make his money?
Isaac made his money as a successful South African entrepreneur and businessman. Isaac Mophatlane's businesses include Business Connexion (BCX), one of Africa’s leading IT companies, which played a major role in his financial success.
What caused the death of Isaac Mophatlane's twin brother?
Isaac Mophatlane's brother, Benjamin, died of a heart attack on 11 June 2014, just a month after his 41st birthday. He was a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) graduate from the University of Pretoria.
Benjamin Mophatlane was a well-educated entrepreneur who believed in using businesses to transform society. He complained of chest pains (cardiac arrest) while meeting Telkom in Rosebank in Johannesburg to discuss a $253 million takeover.
Isaac filled in for his deceased brother to watch over BCX's acquisition by Telkom in 2015. Nonetheless, he also left the company in 2017. His late brother left behind a wife named Abbie, three children, and the rest of the Mophatlane family.
Who is the husband of Mrs. Mops?
South African business tycoon Lenamile Isaac Mophatlane is the husband of Mpumi Mophatlane. She is a South African reality TV star called Mrs. Mops.
She is part of The Mommy Club season 2 cast. The season premiered on Showmax on 27 June 2024. Before this, Mrs. Mops appeared in The Real Housewives of Johannesburg (2018) on 1 Magic.
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Isaac Mophatlane's wife is in her late 30s and hails from Tsakane, Johannesburg. She is reported to come from an entrepreneurial family that owns many taxis in Mzansi.
Her flamboyant lifestyle has caught the attention of many avid viewers. With her “money ain’t a problem” attitude, Mrs. Mops is probably among the best-liked reality show stars in South Africa.
Source: UGC
How did Mpumi and Isaac Mophatlane meet?
Their romance goes back to their first year on campus. After weeks of dating, the mogul took her on a grand tour of Italy. Mpumi and Lenamile Isaac Mophatlane's wedding happened shortly after that.
Did Isaac Mophatlane have children?
Isaac and Mpumi have three children together: Khumo (born in 2009), Marang (born in 2014), and Sekai (born in 2018). They also consider the three children Isaac's brother left behind as their responsibility.
What happened to Mpumi Mops' house?
In September 2023, it was reported that Mpumi and Isaac Mophatlane's house was being auctioned for R5 million. The Mophatlanes were reportedly owing Nedbank around R9 million. So, the bank approached the High Court in Pretoria to execute the auction.
It is unclear where the Mophatlane family lives and whether they settled the debt to keep their home. Before the auction, bidders were allowed to view the five-bedroom double-story house in Waterkloof, Pretoria. Those who participated in the auction paid a R20,000 registration fee.
Who is the husband of Mpumi Mophatlane Mops?
Mpumi Mophatlane is married to South African businessman Isaac Mophatlane.
Isaac Mophatlane's stolen shares
Isaac Mophatlane is currently embroiled in a legal dispute over the alleged unlawful transfer of shares from his family's investment trusts to a third party. He contends that these shares were taken without proper authorization, leading to a court case aimed at recovering the multimillion-rand assets.
Facts about Isaac Mophatlane
- He used to work under his brother, Benjamin, at BCX.
- He co-founded Randvest Capital.
- He sits on the boards of numerous organizations in South Africa.
- He left BCX and Telkom as a friend and is always welcome to work at Telkom.
- He is the newly appointed non-executive director for Mustek.
It is unclear whether Lenamile Isaac Mophatlane received long-term incentives like telco shares when he left the company. Nonetheless, BCX still acknowledges him and his late brother's contributions to its success story. Mpumi Mophatlane's husband now has a new job at Mustek, which looks up to him to make it as great as BCX.
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Source: Briefly News
Peris Walubengo (Lifestyle writer) Peris Walubengo has vast experience in search engine optimization through digital content generation, research, editing, and proofreading. She joined Briefly.co.za in November 2019 and completed the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. You can email her at perisrodah254@gmail.com.
Cyprine Apindi (Lifestyle writer) Cyprine Apindi is a content creator and educator with over six years of experience. She holds a Diploma in Mass Communication and a Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Dietetics from Kenyatta University. Cyprine joined Briefly.co.za in mid-2021, covering multiple topics, including finance, entertainment, sports, and lifestyle. In 2023, she finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. She received the Writer of the Year awards in 2023 and 2024. In 2024, she completed the Google News Initiative course. Email: cyprineapindi@gmail.com
