Est. June 2016 · KwaMaqoma, Eastern Cape
A Platform Born from Purpose
We didn't stumble into this industry. We were called by it.
Our Mission
To give every South African family — regardless of geography or income — access to dignified, professional funeral support services, and to give funeral parlours the digital tools they need to serve those families with excellence.
Our Vision
To be Africa's most trusted technology platform for end-of-life services — connecting families, funeral professionals, and communities through technology that honours life.
Our Story
In June 2016, Lemuel L. Mothlabane started OurNews in KwaMaqoma, a township in the Eastern Cape. The idea was straightforward: families in townships deserved the same quality of funeral multimedia coverage that wealthier communities took for granted. A camera, a laptop, and a WhatsApp group were the founding infrastructure.
Over the years, OurNews grew beyond its origins. Funeral parlours across the Eastern Cape started using us. Imiphanga — our funeral notice broadcast show — became a community institution. Families started calling before they even knew the date, because they knew OurNews would be there.
In 2024, we started asking a harder question: what would it look like if all of this was connected? If a family could submit a notice, book a videographer, create an obituary, and share the venue location — all from one place? That question became the OurNews platform you're on now.
We are not a media company that found technology. We are a technology company that was forged in the hardest moments people face. That distinction matters. It shapes everything we build.
10 Years of Milestones
Founded in KwaMaqoma
OurNews launches in the Eastern Cape, offering funeral multimedia services to families and parlours in the region.
Imiphanga Launches
South Africa's first dedicated funeral notice broadcast show premieres, broadcasting in IsiXhosa to Eastern Cape communities.
GeoFindMe & Tools
Digital tools for families — GeoFindMe and the Obituary Creator — launch to simplify the practical side of funeral planning.
Platform Vision
OurNews begins the build of a unified digital platform connecting all products under one technology umbrella.
Full Platform Launch
ournews.co.za relaunches as South Africa's first integrated digital funeral support platform.
Leadership
Lemuel L. Mothlabane
Founder & CEO
Lemuel founded OurNews in 2016 with a single camera and a conviction that technology could transform how South African communities experience grief and celebration. A decade later, he leads the build of a platform that is redefining what “funeral support” means in Africa.
“We are not a media company that stumbled into tech. We are a technology company that was forged in the hardest moments people face.”
— Lemuel L. Mothlabane, CEO
Ready to work with us?
Book a multimedia service, submit a funeral notice, or get in touch — we're here to help at every step.