South Africa has always been an extremely wealthy country thanks to the precious minerals, especially gold, which was discovered in 1885. This discovery allowed the country to become one of the largest economies in Africa and by 1910, it had established itself as the wealthiest nation on the continent.
The Top 10 Richest People In South Africa!
With this rise in wealth came many entrepreneurs and business owners who amassed vast fortunes over time and are now among the richest people in South Africa. However, we’ve put together a list of the top 10 richest people in South Africa to illustrate to you an idea of just how wealthy this country really is.
1) Johann Rupert
South Africa’s richest man, Johann Rupert, is worth $9.78 billion. Aside from being Richemont’s chairman, he is South Africa’s second richest person. After working in his family’s business for a while, he eventually took it public.
One of the world’s largest luxury goods companies is Richemont, founded by his father Anton Rupert. Johann Rupert has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Stellenbosch and an honorary doctorate from the same university.
Date of Birth: June 1, 1950
Business: Trading Luxury Products
Residence: Cape Town
2) Christo Wiese
A successful entrepreneur and businessman in South Africa, Christo Wiese has built a reputation for himself. As chairman of Africa’s largest food retailer, Shoprite Holdings, he oversees a diverse array of businesses.
As well as property, mining, and banking, he is involved with many other businesses. His net worth of $6.8 billion ranked him the second-richest man in Africa in 2016.
Date of Birth: September 10, 1941
Business: Food
Residence: Cape Town
3) Patrice Motsepe
A business magnate and philanthropist from South Africa, Motsepe is known for his charitable contributions. Besides serving as chairman and executive chairman of African Rainbow Minerals, he has interests in gold, ferrous metals, base metals, and platinum.
In addition, he serves as the non-executive president of Harmony Gold, the world’s 12th largest gold mining company. In 2016, Motsepe was named by Forbes magazine as Africa’s eighth richest person with a net worth of $2.7 billion.
Date of Birth: January 28, 1962
Business: Minning
Residence: Johannesburg
4) Tokyo Sexwale
He has a net worth of $200 million and is a former political prisoner, businessman, and politician. In fact, the human rights activist is notorious for his activism during apartheid. He was born March 5, 1953, in Evaton, Transvaal Province (now Gauteng). During his teenage years, his father worked as a miner and his mother as a domestic worker. A total of six siblings exist in his family.
In his final year of high school, he enrolled at the University of Witwatersrand to study law. In 1977, he was arrested and sentenced to 12 years in prison for his involvement in the anti-apartheid struggle. Interestingly, he was freed from custody in 1990 after serving 13 years of his sentence. Following his release, he worked as a business consultant and investment banker.
Date of Birth: March 5, 1953
Business: Mining
Residence: South Africa
5) Koos Bekker
Fortunately, with a net worth of $2.3 billion, Koos Bekker is the richest person in South Africa. The media and internet company Naspers was co-founded by him, and he was its CEO for a number of years. He is also the chairman of Mall for Africa. Bekker was born in 1948 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
He attended Stellenbosch University and later earned an MBA from Columbia Business School. Bekker has been married three times and has four children.
Date of Birth: December 14, 1952
Business: Media & Investment
Residence: Cape Town
6) Michiel Le Roux
Michiel Le Roux is a South African businessman and entrepreneur. In addition, he is the creator and chairman of Capitec Bank, a leading South African retail bank. As of March 2018, Le Roux has a net worth of $1.6 billion, making him the seventh richest person in South Africa.
Le Roux was born in Johannesburg and raised in Vereeniging, Gauteng Province. After completing his studies at the University of Pretoria, he became an auditor at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Date of Birth: May 20, 1949
Business: Banking
Residence: Stellenbosch
7) Desmond Sacco
Desmond Sacco is the chairman and founder of African Rainbow Minerals, which has interests in gold, ferrous metals, base metals, and platinum. He also serves as the deputy chairman of Harmony Gold.
As a result of the rapid increase in his wealth, he now has a net worth of approximately $1.15 billion.
Date of Birth: September 22, 1940
Business: Mining
Residence: Johannesburg
8) Allan Gray
Allan Gray is a South African businessman and investor who has an estimated net worth of $1.8 billion. As the founder and executive chairman of Allan Gray Limited, he manages investments. Gray was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and attended the University of Cape Town, where he earned a degree in economics. As a stockbroker, he began his career after graduation before starting Allan Gray Limited in 1973.
Date of Birth: April 8, 1938
Business: Asset Management
Residence: South Africa
9) Mark Shuttleworth
Mark Shuttleworth is a South African entrepreneur and space tourist who founded Canonical Ltd., a software company. He is also the Ubuntu Foundation founder and sits on several companies’ boards.
He became the first African in space when he flew aboard Soyuz TM-34 to the International Space Station in April 2002. Fortunately, with a net worth of $500 million, he ranks among the top 10 richest people in South Africa.
Date of Birth: September 18, 1973
Business: Entrepreneur
Residence: South Africa
10) Nicky Oppenheimer
With a net worth of $6.7 billion, Nicky Oppenheimer is one of the richest people in South Africa. He is the chairman of De Beers, an international diamond company, and also has shares in Anglo American, a mining conglomerate. Oppenheimer was born into a wealthy family and educated at some of the best schools in the country.
Initially, he worked for his family’s business before becoming chairman of De Beers. Today, Oppenheimer is one of the most powerful men in the diamond industry, and his wealth continues to grow.
Date of Birth: June 8, 1945
Business: Mining
Residence: Johannesburg
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I hope this guide helps you learn more about the top 10 richest people in South Africa and that it boosts your knowledge about them. Keeping up with us will help you gain more understanding. Share your views in comments!
