Who is Judy van Vuuren? Age, children, net worth, and where she is today
Judy van Vuuren is a South African paralegal and businesswoman best known as the former wife of anti-apartheid activist and businessman Tokyo Sexwale. The pair married in 1993 and share two children. After their high-profile divorce finalised in 2014, van Vuuren has kept a deliberately low public profile.
Source: UGC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Judy van Vuuren is a South African paralegal and businesswoman, believed to be in her late 40s.
- She was married to Tokyo Sexwale — former Gauteng Premier and founder of Mvelaphanda Holdings — from 1993 to 2014.
- The couple reportedly share two children: Gabrielle Sexwale and Chris Sexwale.
- Judy and Sexwale's divorce became public in 2013, with Judy alleging verbal, physical, and emotional abuse — allegations Sexwale denied in full.
- Tokyo Sexwale has since remarried. He wed Natacha da Silva in November 2022.
Judy van Vuuren's profile summary
Full name | Judy van Vuuren (also known as Judy Sexwale) |
Date of birth | Circa 1978 (unverified) |
Age | Approximately 47–48 (as of 2026) |
Place of birth | South Africa |
Nationality | South African |
Profession | Paralegal; businesswoman |
Relationship status | Divorced |
Ex-husband | Tokyo Sexwale (married 1993, divorced 2014) |
Children | Reportedly Gabrielle Sexwale and Chris Sexwale |
Judy van Vuuren's background
Judy van Vuuren is a South African born around 1978, though her exact date and place of birth have not been confirmed by any reliable source. She trained as a paralegal and built her professional life in that field before later moving into business.
Judy van Vuuren's age
Judy van Vuuren is believed to have been born around 1978, making her approximately 47 to 48 years old as of 2026. Her exact birth date has not been publicly confirmed. Several celebrity biography sites list 1978 as her birth year, but none cite a primary source for this figure.
Source: Original
Judy van Vuuren's career
Van Vuuren's professional background is in paralegal work. In the late 1980s, she launched her law career working for a prominent Cape Town law firm.
Judy's legal duties involved representing and assisting anti-apartheid political prisoners who were fighting for human rights and better prison conditions. She was assigned to legal consultations on Robben Island, where she met her future husband, Tokyo Sexwale.
Van Vuuren pivoted to the private sector after marrying Sexwale. She became a businesswoman and was involved in various philanthropic activities funded by the Sexwale family.
Who is Judy van Vuuren's husband?
Judy van Vuuren is the former wife of Tokyo Sexwale, one of South Africa's best-known businessmen and political figures. Sexwale was born on 5 March 1953 in Soweto. An anti-apartheid activist, he joined the ANC's armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe, in the early 1970s. He was imprisoned on Robben Island in 1977 and served 13 years on treason charges before his release in June 1990.
Van Vuuren and Tokyo met in the late 1980s on Robben Island. While recalling their first meeting, van Vuuren told CBS News in 2004:
I was very intimidated by him because he had this enormous presence, a huge presence in this green uniform. He was larger than life. I don't know. It was just very strange.
Judy also told the publication that due to apartheid laws, they could not date freely:
We couldn't communicate freely like other lovers, wives. Anyone could say, well you know, 'I love you.' We had to do it through smuggled notes all the time, you know, try to touch each other's feet under the table, and just little touches, and speaking with the eyes really.
Sexwale and Judy married in 1993, approximately three years after Sexwale's release from prison. The ex-couple raised their family in Johannesburg, including in the upmarket suburb of Illovo. They had two children together.
How did Tokyo Sexwale make his money?
Tokyo Sexwale served as the first Premier of Gauteng from 1994 to 1998, before leaving politics for the private sector. In 1998, he founded Mvelaphanda Holdings, a black economic empowerment investment company with interests in mining, energy, and financial services. By the early 2000s, its gross assets had grown to an estimated R10 billion.
Key investments included natural resource stakes across Africa and Russia, as well as property and healthcare ventures. His business profile made him one of South Africa's most prominent post-apartheid entrepreneurs.
Reliable estimates of Tokyo Sexwale's net worth are difficult to pin down. Various sources estimate him to be a Rand billionaire with an approximate net worth of R2.14 billion to R3.3 billion (roughly $120 million to $200 million).
How Sexwale's marriage crashed
The couple's divorce became public in 2013, when Judy filed papers alleging verbal, physical, and emotional abuse by Tokyo Sexwale. She also sought an equal division of marital assets and temporary maintenance of R150,000 per month. Sexwale rejected all the allegations, calling Judy's filings "libellous, irrelevant fabrications".
In May 2013, Judy's legal team alleged that Sexwale had attempted to blackmail her with threats involving explicit video material — a claim he also denied. Both sides' legal teams subsequently agreed not to comment publicly on the case for the duration of proceedings.
"Judy Sexwale will not back down," her lawyer told the media at the time, as reported by IOL, underlining her determination to see the case through the courts. The divorce was finalised in 2014.
Source: Getty Images
Where is Judy van Vuuren now?
Judy van Vuuren has maintained a very low public profile since the divorce was finalised in 2014. She has not given interviews or made public statements, and her current whereabouts and professional activities are not confirmed by any reliable source.
Natacha da Silva: Tokyo Sexwale's current wife
After his divorce from Judy, Tokyo Sexwale began a relationship with Natacha da Silva, a former model and law student. The pair reportedly began dating around 2013, when Da Silva was approximately 22 years old — an age gap of around 38 years.
They married in November 2022 in a ceremony held in Muldersdrift, Johannesburg, as reported by The Citizen. Da Silva maintains a low public profile and rarely comments on her personal life.
Judy van Vuuren's net worth
Judy van Vuuren's net worth is not confirmed by any reliable source. She is widely reported to be a Rand millionaire, but her exact wealth has been shielded from the public eye.
Latest news
As of October 2026, there is no confirmed new reporting on Judy van Vuuren. Her ex-husband, Tokyo Sexwale, made headlines in November 2022 when he married Natacha da Silva. Judy van Vuuren has not made any public statement regarding this development.
Source: Getty Images
FAQs
- Who is Judy van Vuuren? Judy van Vuuren is a South African paralegal and businesswoman. She is best known as the former wife of Tokyo Sexwale, a prominent businessman and former Gauteng Premier.
- How old is Judy van Vuuren? Judy van Vuuren is believed to be in her late 40s, born around 1978. Her exact date of birth has not been confirmed by a reliable source.
- Who are Judy van Vuuren's children? Judy van Vuuren and Tokyo Sexwale reportedly share two children: Gabrielle Sexwale and Chris Sexwale. Their ages and other details are not publicly confirmed by a reliable source.
- What is Judy van Vuuren's net worth? Judy van Vuuren's net worth has not been confirmed by any reliable source. Celebrity biography sites estimate it at around $20 million, but these figures are unsourced and unverified.
- Where is Judy van Vuuren now? Judy van Vuuren has kept a very low public profile since her divorce from Tokyo Sexwale was finalised in 2014. Her current location and professional activities are not publicly confirmed.
- Who is Judy Sexwale today? Judy van Vuuren — also known as Judy Sexwale during her marriage — has lived privately since her divorce was finalised in 2014. She has not made public appearances or given media interviews.
- Who is Natacha da Silva? Natacha da Silva is the current wife of Tokyo Sexwale. She is a former model and law student who married Sexwale in November 2022, after approximately nine years together. She is around 38 years younger than her husband.
- How did Tokyo Sexwale make his money? Tokyo Sexwale built his fortune primarily through Mvelaphanda Holdings, a black economic empowerment company he founded in 1998 after leaving politics. The group invested in mining, energy, financial services, and property, with gross assets estimated at R10 billion at its peak.
Conclusion
After a high-profile marriage lasting two decades and a subsequently highly publicized, multi-million-dollar divorce, Judy van Vuuren has largely retreated from the public eye. Her adult children have also kept a low profile amid Tokyo Sexwale's remarriage to a much younger Natacha da Silva.
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Source: Briefly News
