The veteran South African television executive worked for the SABC before moving over to M-Net, and in later years moved on to become the owner of Global Access Telecommunications, a private multimedia digital and TV broadcasting company.
Ronnie van Wijk died on Saturday after a short illness.
As a founding member of M-Net, Ronnie van Wijk helped to set up South Africa's pay-TV broadcaster which over the past 26 years has grown to become a massive multimedia broadcasting company.
At M-Net Ronnie van Wijk served as head of broadcasting services during the fast expanding period of the late 80's and early 90's when M-Net suddenly started to blossom with a growing number of local, South African TV productions such as Carte Blanche, Hot Hits and others.
Later, at M-Net Ronnie van Wijk was also involved in the research, planning and groundwork of "A-Net" - a planned Afrikaans pay-TV channel meant to be a sister channel/TV service to M-Net.
"A-Net" never materialised but out of that plan and spearheading work, grew and developed what was kykNET (DStv 144), the Afrikaans language M-Net channel on MultiChoice's DStv.
Koos Bekker, the CEO of Naspers, and the visionary who had the idea for, and started M-Net, on Monday said he will miss Ronnie van Wijk and called him a "supreme professional".
"When M-Net started in 1985, we first managers were early 30's and totally clueless about television," Koos Bekker tells TV with Thinus. "Ronnie was the first recruit who had actually worked in TV: he was a medium-heavy at the SABC".
"He taught us the basics of TV broadcasting; then he supervised the building of our very first broadcasting studios. I will always be grateful for that adult supervision!"
"Ronnie struck me as a supreme individual: balanced, prudent, very sensible," says Koos Bekker. "He established a professional culture at M-Net that endured all these years. We will certainly miss him a lot!"
M-Net also mourns the death of Ronnie van Wijk. "The M-Net group is deeply saddened to hear about the death of Ronnie van Wijk, one of the South African broadcast media industry stalwarts since 1976," says Kershnee Govender, M-Net's corporate affairs director in a statement.
"As one of the founding members of M-Net in 1986, his innovative spirit, broadcasting knowledge and leadership skills, helped shape and change television in South Africa forever, and pushed the group to become one of the leading broadcasters in Sub-Saharan Africa."
"His role in the birth of M-Net and his contributions to the sustenance and growth to the industry are immeasurable," says Kershnee Govender.
"There are few people in this world that have had as much of an impact on the industry as Ronnie. He will be dearly missed, but his legacy will live forever. Our sincere sympathy, thoughts and prayers go to the Van Wijk family."
