Marketing expert Mosotho passes on

COLLEAGUES of the late Mehlaleng Mosotho, who died on Monday, have described him as an acclaimed author and a marketing guru.

Mosotho, a renowned marketing and strategic communications expert, died after a short illness.

At the time of his death he was working for the Tau Ya Phoka Group - an advertising and marketing company in Pretoria.

Mosotho joined the company as a senior strategist and consultant in charge of major government and private sector clients in 2008.

"I have been privileged and blessed to work with Mehlaleng over the last few years. I can confirm that he was a strategist of note and a writer with rare brilliance. His contribution to the growth and expansion of Tau Ya Phoka is well documented," Tau Ya Phoka chief executive Mantshele Tau said.

"After spending more than 20 years in the communications and marketing industry, we as a company learnt a lot from him. We really appreciated him."

Tau said the company, clients and families were shocked by Mosotho's passing.

Poet and marketing expert Moemise Motsepe described Mosotho's death as a loss to humanity and the industry.

"To better mourn this son of the soil, those who can write must write, those who breathe must read and those who live must resolve to better serve their communities with honour," said Motsepe.

Mosotho's book, Tikieline Yuppie, is regarded as one of the best efforts by a black writer to critically analyse affirmative action and black economic empowerment in post-apartheid South Africa.

Mosotho also had his own company, Skokiaan Marketing, which he had been running since the 1980s.

He is survived by his wife Mathapelo, two daughters and a grandson.