Businessman Richard Maponya, who died in the early hours of Monday morning, 6 January 2020, always shared his experiences with young entrepreneurs. Picture: Gallo Images
The family of the late Richard Maponya has moved the date of the memorial to Friday, January 10, 2020, to accommodate the public.
The date was initially set for Wednesday morning at the Rosebank Union Church at 38 St Andrews Road on the corner of Willam Nicol and Sandton Drive from 10am till 1pm. The memorial will now take place at the same venue from 10am till 1pm on Friday, January 10.
Maponya died early on Monday morning after a short illness.
He died at the age of 99 and was the founder of the National African Federated Chamber of Commerce in 1964 and later the founder and chairperson of the African Chamber of Commerce.
The Limpopo-born entrepreneur, often referred to as “the father of black retail”, co-developed Soweto’s Maponya Mall in 2007.
He was born in Thlabine, near Lenyenye, about 20km west of Tzaneen.
At the age of 24, when still a teacher, he took a job as a stock taker at a clothing maker and won a promotion for both himself and his white manager. In gratitude, the manager sold Maponya soiled clothing and offcuts, which he resold in Soweto.
With the capital, he attempted to open a clothing store in Soweto, but was blocked by the apartheid government’s refusal to grant him a licence. He was represented in the dispute by Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela.
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