Deon du Plessis

Deon Jean du Plessis was a veteran South African journalist who founded the Daily Sun newspaper in July 2002, serving as its publisher until his sudden death at the age of 59 in 2011 from acute bronchitis.[1][2]

Deon du Plessis
Born
Deon Jean du Plessis

1952
South Africa
Died11 September 2011
Houghton, Johannesburg, South Africa
CitizenshipSouth African
OccupationJournalist • Publisher
Years active1970s until his death in 2011
Known forFounder of Daily Sun
TitlePublisher
SpouseVanessa du Plessis
ChildrenDaniella du Plessis

Deon du Plessis' journalism career began in the 1970s with the Argus Publishing Group, owners of The Star, which became the Independent Media Group in 1994. Before becoming a journalist, the young du Plessis first served as a military trainee with the South African government in Namibia. As a journalist he covered the political squabbles and wars between freedom fighters and the colonial governments of Mozambique and Angola while a foreign correspondent for Argus Africa news service across the 1970s and 1980s. Max du Preez first met du Plessis in Angola in 1978 while they both covered the Angolan War for their respective media houses. Du Plessis then became the deputy editor of Argus News, Sowetan and Sunday Tribune. He was then appointed the editor of Pretoria News afterwards and was later made the managing director of all of Independent Media Group's Gauteng newspapers.[3][4][5]

Daily Sun

Deon du Plessis founded South Africa's largest tabloid, the Daily Sun in July 2002. While in management at the Independent News & Media, du Plessis proposed to the company the idea of a tabloid that would focus on the working class African reader in the township. He called his envisioned reader the 'man in the blue overalls'.[6][7] The Independent Media rejected Du Plessis' business plan and he resigned and went to propose the idea to Media24 executives who bought in the idea. Du Plessis and Media24's first Daily Sun copy was published on 1 July 2002, with the front-page heading 'On Top of the World', about Brazil's 2002 World Cup victory.[8] He served as the Publisher of the paper and Themba 'TK' Khumalo as its Editor-in-Chief. He was nicknamed the 'Great White Hyena'[9][10][11][12][13]

Within five years, the paper proved to be a major success in the press industry, hitting high sales in a short space of time. By 2004, daily sales reached 300,000, and reaching 2.3 million people, and was said to be the widest read daily newspaper in sub-Saharan Africa. Du Plessis when he spoke to journalist Gill Moodie in September 2010 said it actually took four years for Daily Sun to be a profitable and successful business and "that's pretty fast actually as far as newspapers go". His other brainchild was the Sunday Sun and Nova, both of which are now defunct.[14][15] Du Plessis owned 20% of Daily Sun (Pty) Ltd and Media24 owned the 80%[16]

Death

Du Plessis suddenly died on 11 September 2011 from acute bronchitis at the age of 59 in his home in Houghton, Johannesburg, just as he was about to take three months' sabbatical.[17][18][19]

References
  1. Sun sets for maverick publisher, Timeslive.co.za, 12 September 2011. Retrieved 11 October 2023
  2. Editors and journalists pay tribute to Du Plessis, EWN, 12 September 2011. Retrieved 11 October 2023
  3. Editors pay tribute to Deon du Plessis, News24, 12 September 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023
  4. Jill Moodie, Deon du Plessis: Larger than life and loved by all, Bizcommunity, 12 September 2011. Retrieved 11 October 2023
  5. Farewell Deon du Plessis, Tasmanian Times, Chronicle 61, 2 October 2011
  6. Our guy in the blue-overalls, Mail & Guardian, 9 June 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2023
  7. Sun always rises, Adspace24.co.za. Retrieved 12 October 2023
  8. Daily Sun, Media Mense
  9. Deon du Plessis appoints Themba Khumalo as Daily Sun editor, Bizcommunity 23 June 2005. Retrieved 11 October 2023
  10. The Great White hyena, Spectator UK 17 December 2005. Retrieved 11 October 2023
  11. Deon du Plessis: Old school journalist, new school publisher, The Media Online, 14 September 2011
  12. Tabloid grabs South African market, BBC, 18 October 2006. Retrieved 12 October 2023
  13. 20 great years with Daily Sun, SNL24-Daily Sun, 1 July 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2023
  14. Media24 to launch a new daily newspaper, Bizcommunity. Retrieved 11 October 2023
  15. Jill Moodie, Deon du Plessis: Larger than life and loved by all, Bizcommunity, 12 September 2011. Retrieved 11 October 2023
  16. Media24 vs Estate of the late Deon du Plessis. Saflii.org, 1 December 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2023
  17. Simone Puterman, Hamba kahle, Deon du Plessis. Bizcommunity. Retrieved 11 October 2023
  18. Deon du Plessis, a man truly larger than life goes on the great sabbatical in the sky, Daily Maverick, 12 September 2011. Retrieved 11 October 2023
  19. Respected newsman Deon du Plessis dies, News24, 11 September 2011. Retrieved 11 October 2023

External references
  • Kanthan Pillay, The most engaging raconteur I ever met, Thought leader, 15 September 2011.
  • J.D. Froneman, J.D. 2006. In Search of the Daily Sun’s Recipe for Success. Communitas, vol. 11.ISSN 1023-0556
  • H. Wasserman, H. 2008. ATTACK OF THE KILLER NEWSPAPERS! The ‘tabloid revolution’ in South Africa and the future of newspapers. Op 2 September 2008 aanlyn gepubliseer. Bladsye 786-797


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