IN MEMORIAM
1956-2021
Dolly Mokgatle
[LLB 1983, HDip Tax Law 1991]
Business stalwart and human rights lawyer Dolly Mokgatle leaves a legacy as an authentic leader with a passion for South Africa and its people. The 64-yearold Mokgatle, who held numerous senior positions in listed companies and state-owned enterprises, died on 9 January 2021. Born on 16 May 1956 into a family of eight children in Springs, Mokgatle (née Moloko) held a qualification in procurement from the University of the North and an LLB and a diploma in tax law from Wits. Before democracy, she worked as a litigation officer at the Black Lawyers Association Legal Education Centre where she focused on political cases, housing, labour and other human rights violations. She was also a research officer with the Centre for Applied Legal Studies at Wits and professional assistant at Cheadle, Thompson and Haysom Attorneys. In 1991, Mokgatle joined Eskom as a senior legal adviser and moved up the ranks to be the first black person and first woman appointed as MD of the utility’s transmission group, which she turned from lossmaking to profitable within a year. She was involved with the restructuring of the electricity distribution industry and chaired the board of the holding company. She was involved in energy regulation in South Africa and was deputy chairperson of the board of the National Energy Regulator. From 2003 to 2005 she was CEO of state rail parastatal Spoornet, now Transnet Freight Rail.
Dennis Laubscher
1920-2021
[BSc Eng 1953, PhD 1964]
Dr Dennis Laubscher, South Africa’s foremost authority on block caving techniques, died on 3 February at the age of 91 at Bushman’s River Mouth in the Eastern Cape after a long fight with stroke-related complications. Born in Tulbagh on 1 October 1929, Dr Laubscher won numerous awards: the South Africa Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (SAIMM) Gold Medal in 1995; a Lifetime Achievement Award from the South African Institute of Rock Engineering in 1998; the De Beers Mass Mining Award at Massmin 2000; and the Brigadier Stokes Platinum Medal from the SAIMM in 2007. In the 1970s, Dr Laubscher’s first major contribution
In 2005, she founded Peotona Group Holdings, a majority black women-owned investment firm, along with prominent businesswomen Cheryl Carolus, Wendy Lucas-Bull and Thandi Orleyn. She was a respected businessperson and held senior positions in numerous listed companies and state-owned enterprises such as Telkom, Total SA, Zurich Insurance, Kumba, Lafarge, Sasfin Bank Ltd and the Woolworths Employee Share Ownership (as chairperson) among others. She also served on various trusts and foundations, including Junior Achievement SA, the Rothschild SA Foundation, Michaelhouse School governing body and at the Wits Foundation. A devoted wife and mother of five, Mokgatle channelled her creative flair into fashion and the culinary arts. A longtime avid golfer, she took up horse riding in recent years. She was deeply involved in church activities and was appointed deputy chancellor of the board of trustees of the Anglican Church Diocese of Johannesburg. Pro bono work epitomised Mokgatle’s altruistic nature. She was a prominent advocate for the empowerment and development of young leaders and women in particular. She was the founder of the Palesa Ya Sechaba Foundation, an initiative to assist learners of Tlakula High School in KwaThema to improve their mathematics, science and accounting marks. In addition, she served on the board of the Unisa School of Business Leadership in 2012, later becoming chairperson. At the time of her death, she was a non-practising attorney of the High Court. She leaves behind her husband and five children. Sources: Business Day, Sunday Times and WBS archives
to the caving industry was the introduction of the mining rock mass rating system. It was intended to help mining practitioners effectively communicate between disciplines and to provide a tool for developing empirical guidelines for mining method selection and cave design. In 2000, he published the first comprehensive practical manual on block caving. In 2017 the University of Queensland in Australia published the Guidelines on Caving Mining Methods, co-authored by Dr Laubscher, Alan Guest, and Jarek Jakubec. As he travelled the world, Dr Laubscher made unique and lasting friendships and was a mentor to many. He is survived by four adult children from his first marriage to Patricia May, who died on 20 August 2002, their elder son Carl having also passed away. On 27 February 2004, he married Michelle Broster. Sources: RK Consulting, Alan Guest, and the Northern Miner
Apr il 2021 85
