The passing of Goolam Hoosen Mahomed Kolia on 6 July 2026 marks the end of an extraordinary chapter in South African journalism.
Hoosen Kolia was far more than a respected media executive. He was a man of integrity, wisdom, humility and unwavering dedication whose influence reached far beyond the newsroom. His contributions to journalism, his commitment to truth and his love for his family leave behind a legacy that will continue to inspire generations.
Hoosen devoted his entire professional career to the Sunday Times, one of South Africa’s most influential and respected publications. Rising to become general manager of the Sunday Times, he played a pivotal role during some of the newspaper’s most significant years.
Under his leadership, he helped guide the publication through a rapidly changing media landscape while ensuring that the Sunday Times remained faithful to its proud tradition of fearless, independent journalism.
A trusted voice
As one of the newspaper’s leading public representatives, Hoosen became the trusted voice of the Sunday Times on matters of editorial independence, corporate strategy, and the future of print media.
During the newspaper’s Centenary Celebrations in 2006, he reflected with immense pride on a century of courageous reporting, reminding South Africans of the newspaper’s historic commitment to exposing injustice and speaking truth to power.
He passionately defended the Sunday Times’ reputation as “The Paper for the People,” celebrating landmark investigative journalism, including its historic exposure of the Afrikaner Broederbond in 1963.
Throughout his career, Hoosen embraced innovation while remaining deeply committed to the timeless values of honest journalism. He was actively involved in shaping the newspaper’s strategic direction, including discussions about new publications and the expansion of successful newspaper supplements.
His insight, professionalism, and calm leadership earned him the admiration of colleagues across South Africa’s media industry.
Beyond the boardrooms
His influence reached far beyond corporate boardrooms. During the difficult years of apartheid, Hoosen stood alongside many South Africans working towards a more equal society. Historical archives acknowledge his involvement in community initiatives that challenged the injustices of the Group Areas Act.
This reflected his belief that journalism should not only report history but should also help shape a better future.
Yet those who knew Hoosen best will remember not only the accomplished journalist but also the remarkable man behind the title.
Despite achieving tremendous professional success, Hoosen remained humble, approachable, and deeply grateful for the career he loved so dearly. He would often say that being paid to do something he genuinely loved felt like an added bonus.
Those words perfectly captured his passion for journalism. For him, it was never simply a job. It was a calling.
Even after choosing early retirement, his curiosity about the world never faded. Determined to remain informed, he taught himself computer skills so that he could continue following local and international news every day. His love of learning and his lifelong interest in current affairs reflected a mind that never stopped growing.
His greatest pride
Away from journalism, Hoosen’s greatest pride was his family.
He was a devoted husband whose love and commitment never wavered. He was a caring father who provided guidance, wisdom, and unconditional support. He was a respected uncle, a cherished father in law and above all, an exceptionally loving grandfather who treasured every moment spent with his two grandchildren. His kindness, patience, generosity and quiet strength made him the cornerstone of his family.
In 2025, Hoosen was diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease, a cruel illness that gradually robbed him of his physical abilities. Throughout his illness, however, he displayed extraordinary courage, dignity, and resilience. He faced every challenge with remarkable grace, refusing to allow the disease to define the remarkable life he had lived.
On 6 July 2026, Hoosen’s journey came to a peaceful end. Although his voice has fallen silent, the impact of his life continues to resonate through every journalist he mentored, every colleague he inspired, every friend whose life he touched, and every family member who was privileged to know his love.
His legacy
His legacy is measured not only by the newspapers he helped build or the history he helped preserve, but also by the countless lives he enriched through his humility, compassion, integrity, and unwavering character.
Goolam Hoosen Mahomed Kolia leaves behind a legacy of excellence in journalism, steadfast leadership, service to his community and unconditional devotion to his family. He will forever be remembered as a gentleman of immense character, a guardian of truth, and a man whose life exemplified honour, humility, and purpose.
May his memory continue to inspire all who believe in truth, integrity, compassion, and service.
Rest in eternal peace, Goolam Hoosen Mahomed Kolia.
You served your profession with distinction, your community with dignity, and your family with boundless love. Your legacy will live on forever.
Adam Beruch Kolia is Hoosen Kolia’s only son.
Remembering Hoosen: Colleagues pay tribute
A kind soul and fearless journalist
“Hoosen was a wonderful human being above all else. A great friend, a kind and supportive husband and a trusted colleague. He was an old school journalist of the best kind.
“A stickler for accuracy who could always be relied on to ask the difficult questions that stopped us being played at a time when various ANC factions were leaking half truths and lies to to harm their opponents. He was a mentor to any young journalist willing to learn from him, both kind and very funny.
“I will really miss him.”
~ Mike Robertson, former Sunday Times editor
The calm hand behind the headlines
“Hoosen was the consummate newspaperman who could do it all: reporting, writing, subbing and layout. He was also a fair and compassionate editor, who successfully transitioned into management as the Sunday Times’ general manager.
“I first met Hoosen in Durban in 1982, when I was appointed bureau chief of the Sunday Times’ Durban Bureau. Hoosen was then editor of the Sunday Times Extra, which focused on Durban’s Indian community.
I very quickly became dependent on Hoosen, a calm and knowledgeable sounding board, with excellent news judgement.
“He very quickly became my de facto deputy. This allowed me to continue reporting on big stories, like Mike Hoare’s failed Seychelles coup, secure in the knowledge that the desk was in good hands.
“One of his greatest assets was his ability to write punchy, off-the-cuff headlines. One Saturday in Durban, we took a quick break for lunch. One of the reporters, biting into his bunny chow, chomped down hard on a coin that somehow had got into the food.
“We were also looking for a short story and a photo to replace a brief page-one story that hadn’t worked out. Without missing a beat, Hoosen told a photographer to take a photo of the bunny and offending coin, then sat down at a typewriter and banged out a short story to fill the space.
The magic came with his quirky headline: ‘The bunny with the money’, tying it all together.
“With the passing of Hoosen, a mighty oak has fallen, and South African journalism has lost one of its great sons.”
~ Raymond Joseph, former Sunday Times journalist and Cape Metro editor, investigative journalist
The story always came first
“Hoosen and I worked at the Sunday Times in its most successful era in the ’70s and ’80s when Tertius Myburgh was editor. Hoosen was one of the first to embrace and master the new technologies as they evolved over the years.
“But he always adapted the technology to serve the needs of the good old fashioned journalism he so admired. It was always about the story, in pursuit of which nothing beat legwork and digging.
“When he was in charge of the Durban bureau in the early ’80s he became adept at handling the constant grievances of the hostile Indian political factions. Which tested but never doused his wry sense of humour.
“Like the time one enraged politician burst into his office threatening to “putting a revenge” on him, a scene he recounted vividly and with humour to his Joburg colleagues.
“In retirement we both ended up in the Deep South of Cape Town, me in Simon’s Town and Hoosen in Fish Hoek (which we jokingly called Zimmer Hoek in reference to its aging population).
“Until his illness, he was a regular attendee at lunches in Cape Town for ‘old timers’ and joined in with gusto to the banter of retired newsmen and their war stories.
“He is sadly missed.”
~ Ric Wilson, former editor of the Eastern Province Herald and managing editor of the Sunday Times
A friend, mentor and gentleman
“Condolences to Jocelyn Kolia. I was blessed to have the opportunity to visit you both in December. Hoosen had not yet received a confirmed diagnosis of motor neurone disease, but he knew what was to come. I remember thinking how incredibly brave you both were.
“It was hard to leave that day, with only loving memories of the Hoosen’s kindness and gentle inner strength. I have thought about you almost every day since.
“I was 26 when I joined the Sunday Times and first met Hoosen. He was a senior editor and drove a BMW. But he always had time for a conversation and would take me to the Seabelle in La Mercy for a prawn curry when I visited Durban.
“Hoosen, I am so grateful to have known and worked with you for 23 years, and proud that your and Jocelyn’s first public display of affection was in my lounge in Kensington.
“Rest in peace my friend.”
