The 10 Richest Families in South Africa

Welcome into the world of money, heritage, and power in South Africa. Today, I will share with you the 10 richest families in South Africa. From the fancy houses of the Johann Rupert Family to the respected name of the Nicky Oppenheimer Family, every group has a special story of doing well, starting businesses, and helping society.

I will also share the fields these families work in, the charity work they did and the good changes they make in the world. If you’re after inspiration, business know-how, or just want a look into amazing lives, this article will interest, teach, and give you hope.

Join me so we can look into the story behind these families, finding the keys to their success, the things that made them famous, and the long-lasting marks they’re leaving. They could be big business people or charity leaders, each family’s journey shows the strong will, new ideas, and dreams that make South Africa special.

The 10 Richest Families in South Africa

1. The Johann Rupert Family ($10.7 billion) 

This is the Rupert Family, Johann Rupert is their leader. He is known for luxury things. He runs Richemont in Switzerland and Remgro in South Africa. He was born into a rich family. His parents are Anton Rupert and Huberte. He and Gaynor have three kids: Anton Jr., Hanneli, and Caroline.

Johann got his dad’s business in Rembrandt Group. He changed it into Remgro and VenFin. In 1988, he made Compagnie Financiere Richemont. They own brands like Cartier and Montblanc. Johann likes to help education and healthcare. He also likes the environment and the arts. Johann also does sports and drinks and he is a part-owner of Saracens rugby team and Anthonij Rupert Wines.

2. The Nicky Oppenheimer Family ($8.5 billion) 

The Oppenheimer family, with a lot of money, has an interesting story. Nicky Oppenheimer got a big chunk of cash when he sold his part of the diamond business. He comes from a family with a big name in business. Nicky has a wife and son. He used to be at the top of the diamond business and another big company.

He also made a new company for private flights. And he really likes sports like squash, golf, and cricket. The cool thing about Nicky is that he likes to help out. He has a lot of land for saving nature in some countries. Plus, he helps small businesses and gives aid for Covid-19. He’s really making a change, meanwhile his family is one of the richest families in South Africa. 

3. The Patrice Motsepe Family ($3.2 billion) 

Patrice Motsepe is a rich boss. He leads a mining company, African Rainbow Minerals. He also loves football and bosses Mamelodi Sundowns. He’s from Ga-Rankuwa, Pretoria. His dad was a chief, and his mom owned a shop. He studied law at schools in Swaziland and Witwatersrand. 

Then, he went to Columbia Business School and got an MBA. He was a lawyer, but then he became a mining guy. He bought some not-so-great gold mines from a company called AngloGold and turned them into gold mines. But here’s the cool part – Patrice is all about giving back. 

He signed up for something called The Giving Pledge in 2013, promising to share half of his crazy wealth with people who need it. She is married to Dr. Precious Moloi-Motsepe, who’s not just a doctor but also into fashion. They’ve got three sons: Thlopie, Kgosi, and Kabelo Motsepe.

4. The Bekker Family  ($2.7 billion) 

Koos Bekker is a very wealthy man who leads Naspers, a firm focused on media and the web. He’s also one of the clever minds who helped start MTN, a large phone company. He was born in 1952 in South Africa. He went to Stellenbosch University and studied law and lit. Then, he went to Wits University to study more law and later got an MBA at Columbia Business School.

Koos did cool work in his job. He helped start M-Net, one of the first pay TV services outside of the US. Then, he became the big boss at Naspers, turning it into a vast firm that invests in lots of other big firms like Tencent, Mail.ru, Flipkart, and OLX. 

He’s known for being a real forward-thinker, seeing how the web and digital stuff would be super vital in places that are just starting to grow. He is married to Karen Roos, who used to work for a mag and now designs things. They have four kids. His family is among the richest families in South Africa. 

5. The Douw Steyn Family ($1.6 billion) 

Douw was born in 1952 in South Africa. He always liked learning. He went to Stellenbosch University to study law and literature. Then he went to Wits University to study law, and later got an MBA from Columbia Business School. He helped start M-Net, one of the first pay TV services outside the US.

Later, he led Naspers, making it a huge company that invests in many other big ones like Tencent, Mail.ru, Flipkart, and OLX. He’s famous for being a forward-thinker, understanding the value of the internet and digital things in emerging places. He is married to Karen Roos, she used to work for a magazine and now designs things. They have four kids.

6. The Desmond Sacco Family ($1.3 billion) 

Here is another one of the richest families in South Africa – Desmond is the big person here. He has done well by running a big mining business in South Africa called Assore Group. He was born in 1940 in Johannesburg. He learned about rocks at the University of the Witwatersrand. In 1968, he began working at Assore Group and stayed on. Now, he’s the leader – the top person. He got the top job in 1992.

Assore Group digs up iron ore and manganese. They have a stake in Assmang too. They share it with Patrice Motsepe’s African Rainbow Minerals group. He gives money to good things, like helping out during the virus outbreak. And he collects rocks too. He wrote a book about it! Desmond has a wife and two sons, Patrick and Nick. They must be so proud!

7. The Stephen Saad Family ($1.2 billion) 

Stephen is a big shot in the business world. He runs Aspen Pharmacare, which makes a lot of different drugs. Stephen was born in 1964 in Durban, South Africa, to parents from Lebanon. He went to Rhodes University and studied money stuff. After that, he went to Harvard Business School and got a fancy degree. In 1989, Stephen joined a company called Quickmed. He was just a part owner back then. But guess what? 

He sold his part and became super rich at only 29 years old. Then, in 1997, Stephen and his friend Gus Attridge started Aspen Pharmacare. And guess what again? They turned it into a big company that sells drugs in over 150 countries around the world. Stephen isn’t just about making money – he’s really kind, too. 

He’s part of something called The Giving Pledge, where rich individuals promise to give away half of their money to help others. He is married to Lynda Saad, and they have four daughters. They must be really proud of their dad for all the cool things he’s done. 

8. The Allan Gray Family ($1.1 billion) 

Allan’s family is another one of the richest families in South Africa to talk about. He was a great man who did many good things. He made a business called Allan Gray Limited, which helps folks with their cash. He also made the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation, which gives funds to aid bright kids in South Africa attend school.

Allan was born in 1938 in East London, South Africa. His kin came from Scotland, and he went to Selborne College and Rhodes Uni for school. After that, he went to Harvard Business School in the US and got a special degree.

After working in the US for a bit, Allan came back to South Africa in 1973 and started his own money company, Allan Gray Limited. It became one of the biggest firms of its kind in South Africa! Later, he also began Orbis Investment Management in London.

Allan did really well and got a lot of money in Africa. But you know what’s even better? In 2016, he gave all his money from his company to help others. He wanted to use the money to do great things for people who needed help.

Allan is married to Gill Gray, and they stayed in Bermuda. They had three kids: Trevor, Jennifer, and William. Sadly, Allan died in 2019, but his memory lives on through all the great things he did to help others.

9. The Michiel Le Roux Family ($1 billion) 

Michiel is a big business person that made Capitec Bank. This bank is special. It helps normal people, like those who just start making more money. Michiel was born in 1949 in a place called Potchefstroom, in South Africa. He went to Stellenbosch University and learned law. Later, he went to Columbia Business School in the US and got a special degree.

Michiel did cool things in his job. He helped start M-Net, which was one of the first TV services you had to pay for outside of the US. Then, he became the big boss at Naspers, a company that invests in lots of businesses around the world. But Michiel’s best thing is Capitec Bank. This bank helps a lot of people in South Africa with their money.

It’s big. It has over 800 branches and employs more than 13,000 people. He’s married and has kids. Michiel is a smart and successful guy who’s made a big difference in the world of banking.

10. The Ackerman Family ($984 million)

Here is another one of the richest families in South Africa that are important in the business field. They have Pick n Pay, which is the second-biggest store in South Africa. It began with Raymond Ackerman, who was born in Cape Town in 1931. He went to the University of Cape Town and studied business. Then, he worked for Greatermans, which was in the shop business.

Raymond got good and became the boss of Checkers store. But things were not good in the company, so he left in 1966. Then, he chose to start his own shop. He bought four small shops in a town and called them Pick n Pay. Can you guess? Now there are more than 1,800 shops all over the land. They also hire about 85,000 persons.

Raymond likes to help his clients and give back to the town. He cares about making sure all can get good things, like school, health, and looking after earth. In 2010, Raymond gave the job of running Pick n Pay to his son, Gareth Ackerman. Gareth’s wife, Wendy Ackerman, is also part of the family and does lots of nice things for others.

They have four kids: Suzanne, Jonathan, Gareth Jr., and Nicholas, and they all help with the family work.

Who are the top 10 richest people in South Africa?

The top 10 richest people in South Africa are: 

1. Elon Musk ($219 billion) – Tesla, SpaceX, Twitter

2. Nicky Oppenheimer ($8 billion) – De Beers

3. Johann Rupert ($7.1 billion) – Richemont, Remgro

4. Patrick Soon-Shiong ($7.5 billion) – NantWorks

5. Ivan Glasenberg ($5.5 billion) – Glencore

6. Koos Bekker ($3 billion) – Naspers

7. Patrice Motsepe ($2.9 billion) – African Rainbow Minerals

8. Michiel Le Roux ($1.6 billion) – Capitec Bank

9. Stephen Saad ($1.2 billion) – Aspen Pharmacare

10. Allan Gray ($1.1 billion) – Allan Gray Limited

How Many Billionaires are in SA? 

In South Africa, there are more than ten big rich people who are called billionaires. They have lots of money, each with at least $1 billion. There are also about 38,000 very rich people called millionaires in South Africa.

Who are the Richest Families in Africa?

First, let’s talk about the Dangote family. Aliko Dangote is the boss of the Dangote Group, which makes cement, sugar, salt, flour, and oil. He’s the richest person in Africa, with $20.1 billion. He also owns a soccer team called Mamelodi Sundowns. 

Another richest family in Africa is the Sawiris family. Nassef Sawiris is the younger son of Egyptian billionaire Onsi Sawiris and is the second richest person in Africa, with $17.5 billion. He runs a company called OCI that builds things and makes fertilizer. 

He’s also the boss of Adidas, the well-known sports brand. His brother Naguib Sawiris is also a big deal, with $5.2 billion. He’s into telecom, media, and gold mining. Their dad started a company called Orascom Construction Industries, which later split into many different companies.

Who is the Richest Owner in South Africa?

As of January 2024, Johann Rupert and his family are the richest in South Africa, with a net worth of  $10.7 billion. Globally, they rank 224th and in Africa, they are second only to Aliko Dangote from Nigeria. Johann Rupert has many roles in business, leading Richemont, a luxury goods company, and Remgro, an investment firm in South Africa. 

Outside of work, he has sports interests, owning part of the Saracens rugby team. He also has a big part in the wine industry, owning many wine estates in South Africa.

Conclusion 

As we end our discussion into the lives and history of these 10 richest families in South Africa, we’re amazed by the great stories, achievements, and help they’ve given to our country. From beginning their own businesses to helping others, each family has made a big impact in the society. 

Through our look, we’ve seen how these families beat problems with strength, creativity, and focus. Whether it’s the big houses of the Johann Rupert Family or the brave mind of the Patrice Motsepe Family, their work for high quality and business skill shines. But what’s really cool is how these families have used their money and power to make a change in the lives of others.

Through plans in learning, health, and keeping nature safe, they’ve helped many South Africans, showing us the strength of giving and care. I believe the stories of these richest families in South Africa will always keep us wanting to follow our dreams, work hard, and leave a good mark for the next generation to come. Thanks for reading. See you again.

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