Latakgomo passed away on Sunday, 22 February 2026 at Kalafong Hospital, his wife Angie announced.
He was best known as the founding editor of Sowetan and served as Public Advocate of the Press Council of South Africa after a media career spanning more than fifty years, during which he upheld press freedom through the apartheid era and beyond. Colleagues remember him for his courage, integrity and kindness.
Said the Press Council in a statement: "Latakgomo joined us after more than 50 years of active service in the media, reaching the heights of founding editor of Sowetan in 1981. Before that, he was a stalwart at The World and Weekend World, which were banned by the apartheid regime, and was Assistant Editor at the Post and Sunday Post."
Many will also recall Latakgomo’s infectious passion for football — a devotion that earned him induction into the SAB Sports Journalists Hall of Fame in 2009 and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the South African Football Association in 2011. He chronicled the beautiful game in his 2010 book, Mzansi Magic, Struggle, Betrayal & Glory: The Story of South African Soccer, and earlier lent his words to 16 June , Never, Never Again, the powerful photographic tribute by Peter Magubane published in 1996.
