Goitse Konopi

Last updated
Goitse Konopi
Goitse Konopi.jpg
Born
Goitseone Konopi

(1991-06-12) June 12, 1991 (age 34)
Pretoria, South Africa
Nationality South African
Education Pretoria Boys High School
Alma mater University of Pretoria
Occupation Entrepreneur
Known forCivic technology, AI in public services
TitleFounder & CEO, Suppple Group Plc
SpouseThina Makhathini (m. 2015)
Website www.suppple.co.uk

Goitse Konopi is a South African technology entrepreneur. He is the co-founder and CEO of Suppple Group Plc. He previously co-founded GovChat, South Africa's citizen to government engagement platform and the medical cannabis company South Grown. [1]

Contents

Early life

Goitseone Konopi was born on 12 June 1991 in Pretoria, South Africa. He grew up in Hartbeespoort Dam, North West province near Pretoria and attended Pretoria Boys High School. His early exposure to the internet and technology through his parents' internet café in the late 1990s influenced his later career in technology. [2] [3]

Education

Konopi studied at the University of Pretoria, graduating in 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Political Science. He completed his postgraduate Honours Degree in Social Science (Development Studies) in 2016. [4]

Career

Government and policy

Konopi began his career in government, working as a ministerial staffer at South Africa's National Planning Commission for Trevor Manuel from 2011 to 2012. He later served as a researcher in the Presidency from 2013 to 2016. In 2013, he briefly worked as a consultant to the World Bank on the Independent Panel Review Report on Ease of Doing Business Report. During Trevor Manuel's tenure, he was also a researcher for the Oxford Martin Commission for Future Generations, chaired by Pascal Lamy. [5] [6]

In 2015, Konopi was appointed by Deputy Minister Buti Manamela to chair the National Youth Service Task Team, leading business, labour, youth formations, and government stakeholders to develop South Africa's youth policy framework as per legislation. [7]

South Grown

In 2017, Konopi founded South Grown, a company producing medical cannabis and cannabidiol products. [8] [9]

GovChat

In 2015, Konopi co-founded GovChat with Eldrid Jordaan, South Africa's official citizen-to-government engagement platform. The service facilitated over 600 million messages annually, enabling social grant applications, service issue reporting (potholes, refuse removal), and government communication via WhatsApp and web. It received venture capital from JSE-listed Capital Appreciation. [10] [11]

COVID-19 contributions

During the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa, GovChat processed Social Relief of Distress (R350) grant applications, distributing R66 billion ($3.2 billion) to 10-13.5 million users, delivered test result notifications, and streamlined disability grant applications—all provided free to reduce queues for vulnerable populations. [12]

In late 2022, GovChat faced a dispute with Meta over alleged WhatsApp terms violations, leading to Competition Commission legal action against Meta. Konopi resigned as Chief Data Officer amid these challenges. [13]

Suppple Group Plc

In 2022, Konopi co-founded Suppple Group Plc (pronounced "triple P") with Eldrid Jordaan, specializing in AI-driven public-private partnerships for governance, healthcare, education, and economic analysis. Key initiatives include:

Suppple listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange in May 2024 with £200 million ($264 million) market capitalization, monetizing through anonymized data insights rather than direct government fees. [14] [15] [16]

Investments

Konopi and family are shareholders of Konopi Capital Management (South Africa), Boldlink Capital SA (South Africa), and Konopi Global Investments PLC (U.K.). Through these companies, he holds over 47,576,140 Class A shares, approximately 47.57% of the equity, and 8,000,000 Class B Super voting shares in Suppple Group Plc. [17] [18]

Media appearances

Konopi has appeared in major media discussing African innovation:

He warns startups: "If your startup grows too fast on someone else's platform, they can shut you down." [22]

Personal life

Konopi married Thina Makhathini, whom he met at the University of Pretoria, in 2015. He maintains a private life. [23]

References

  1. ↑ "Across Africa, Young Leaders Emerge to Push for Change". The New York Times. 2023-10-03. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  2. ↑ Next Studio Interview with Goitse Konopi. 2025-03-20. Retrieved 2025-10-23– via YouTube.
  3. ↑ "Goitse Konopi LinkedIn Profile" . Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  4. ↑ "Goitse Konopi LinkedIn Profile" . Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  5. ↑ "National youth service task team expanded". TimesLIVE. 2015-10-07. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  6. ↑ "Jordaan, Konopi to unveil a tech solution to not leave people behind in health, education". IOL. 2024-05-13. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  7. ↑ "SA Deputy Minister Buti Manamela expands the National Youth Service Task Team". Polity.org.za. 2015-10-07. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  8. ↑ TimesLIVE Video (2021-04-01). From assisting his mom's cancer fight, to becoming an international cannabis exporter . Retrieved 2025-10-23– via YouTube.
  9. ↑ "South Grown". EU-Startups. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  10. ↑ "Capital Appreciation sees growth from GovChat adaptations for Covid-19". BusinessLIVE. 2020-06-02. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  11. ↑ Reporter, Staff (2019-05-28). "SA startup GovChat announces it's secured investment facility of up to R20m". Ventureburn. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  12. ↑ Next Studio Interview with Goitse Konopi. 2025-03-20. Retrieved 2025-10-23– via YouTube.
  13. ↑ "What's at stake in the GovChat vs Meta personal information data war?". Open Secrets. 2022-11-30. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  14. ↑ Oluka, Peter (2024-05-15). "AI Company Suppple, Founded by South Africans, Goes Public in Luxembourg – LuxSE". Tech Economy. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  15. ↑ Next Studio Interview with Goitse Konopi. 2025-03-20. Retrieved 2025-10-23– via YouTube.
  16. ↑ "Suppple Group Plc" . Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  17. ↑ "Suppple Group Plc Shareholder Structure". Luxembourg Stock Exchange. 2025-04-01. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  18. ↑ "Suppple Group plc Announces CEO Changes Effective 1 April 2025". MarketScreener. 2025-04-01. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  19. ↑ "Across Africa, Young Leaders Emerge to Push for Change". The New York Times. 2023-10-03. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  20. ↑ Next Studio Interview with Goitse Konopi. 2025-03-20. Retrieved 2025-10-23– via YouTube.
  21. ↑ Cannabis Entrepreneurship with Goitse Konopi. 2021-10-25. Retrieved 2025-10-23– via Spotify.
  22. ↑ Next Studio Interview with Goitse Konopi. 2025-03-20. Retrieved 2025-10-23– via YouTube.
  23. ↑ "Goitse Konopi Instagram" . Retrieved 2025-10-23.
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