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 | |
| Citizenship: | South African |
| Birth Name: | Deon Jean du Plessis |
| Birth Date: | 1952 |
| Birth Place: | South Africa |
| Death Place: | Houghton, Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Death Date: | 11 September 2011 |
| Years Active: | 1970s until his death in 2011 |
| Known For: | Founder of Daily Sun |
| Publisher | |
| Spouse: | Vanessa du Plessis |
| Children: | Daniella du Plessis |
| Occupation: | Journalist • Publisher |
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]
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]
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]