15 most powerful and richest families in South Africa in 2024
The South African economy is known for being one of the most vibrant in Africa. The country is home to numerous companies operating in wide-ranging industries. As one might expect in such an economy, various individuals and families have amassed huge fortunes and become pretty influential. Which are the wealthiest and most powerful families in South Africa today?
Source: UGC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Top 15 most powerful and richest families in South Africa
- The most powerful families in South Africa
- 15. Adrian Gore and family - $480 million
- 14. Raymond Ackerman and family - $500 million
- 13. Lauritz Dippenaar and family - $610 million
- 12. Jannie Mouton and family - $1 billion
- 11. Christoffel Wiese and family - $1.2 billion
- 10. Stephen Bradley Saad and family - $1.2 billion
- 9. Christo Wiese and family - $1.2 billion
- 8. Michiel Le Roux and family - $1.2 billion
- 7. Allan Gray family - $1.8 billion
- 6. Patrice Motsepe and family - $2.6 billion
- 5. Douw Steyn and family - $2.647 billion
- 4. Koos Bekker and family - $2.7 billion
- 3. Ivan Glasenberg and family - $8 billion
- 2. Nicky Oppenheimer and family - $9.4 billion
- 1. Johann Rupert and family - $11.4 billion
- Who are the richest couples in South Africa?
- Who is the top 10 richest person in South Africa?
- Which is the richest family in South Africa?
- Who are the richest African families?
- Who is the 5 billionaires in South Africa?
- Who has the most wealth in South Africa?
Most powerful families in South Africa own a conglomerate and have diversified their investments in different sectors locally and internationally. Some have tapped into the lucrative mining industry, while others own stakes in financial institutions.
Top 15 most powerful and richest families in South Africa
Determining the wealthiest family in South Africa involved tracking the families' and individuals' net worth, as stated by Forbes.
| Rank | Family | Net worth |
| 1 | Johann Rupert and family | $11.4 billion |
| 2 | Nicky Oppenheimer and family | $9.4 billion |
| 3 | Ivan Glasenberg and family | $8 billion |
| 4 | Koos Bekker and family | $2.7 billion |
| 5 | Douw Steyn and family | $2.647 billion |
| 6 | Patrice Motsepe and family | $2.6 billion |
| 7 | Allan Gray family | $1.8 billion |
| 8 | Michiel Le Roux and family | $1.2 billion |
| 9 | Christo Wiese and family | $1.2 billion |
| 10 | Stephen Bradley Saad and family | $1.2 billion |
| 11 | Christoffel Wiese and family | $1.2 billion |
| 12 | Jannie Mouton and family | $1 billion |
| 13 | Lauritz Dippenaar and family | $610 million |
| 14 | Raymond Ackerman and family | $500 million |
| 15 | Adrian Gore and family | $480 million |
The most powerful families in South Africa
Here is a look at the wealthiest and most powerful families in South Africa. Their rankings change over time, depending on their business moves.
15. Adrian Gore and family - $480 million
Source: Getty Images
- Company: Discovery Holdings
- Industry: Financial services
Adrian Gore is the founder and group chief executive of Discovery Holdings, one of South Africa's leading medical insurance companies. He established the company when he was 27 years old.
Discovery is publicly traded on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and extends its operations to the United Kingdom and the United States. As the company's primary individual shareholder, Gore holds an approximate 8% stake in Discovery. Adrian Gore's family is worth $480 million.
14. Raymond Ackerman and family - $500 million
Source: UGC
- Company: Pick n Pay Group
- Industry: Retail
Raymond Ackerman was a South African businessman best known for buying the Pick n Pay supermarket chain from its founders in the 1960s. The business chain is now run as a family enterprise with the billionaire's wife and his four children.
The family also has a presence in various other industries, including food, clothing, general merchandise, and financial services. The family's company operates throughout South Africa, various southern African countries, and Australia. Raymond Ackerman and family are worth $500 million.
13. Lauritz Dippenaar and family - $610 million
Source: UGC
- Company: FirstRand
- Industry: Financial services
Lauritz Dippenaar is a South African millionaire businessman, banker, and investor. He was the chairman of FirstRand Financial Group and is also well known for his philanthropic works.
He co-founded Rand Consolidated Investing in 1977 alongside Paul Harris, and in the 1990s, he founded FirstRand. Currently, he is a non-executive chairman of FirstRand, whose focus is on banking and insurance. Lauritz Dippenaar and family are worth $610 million.
12. Jannie Mouton and family - $1 billion
Source: Getty Images
- Company: PSG Group
- Industry: Financial services
Jannie is popularly known as 'Buddha Buffett' and is the founder and chairman of PSG Group, a listed investment holding firm.
PSG has interests in financial services, banking, private equity, agriculture and education. Both of his sons serve on PSG Group's board, and his son Piet Mouton is the CEO. The Jannie Mouton and family are worth $1 billion.
11. Christoffel Wiese and family - $1.2 billion
Source: Getty Images
- Company: Steinhoff International, Shoprite, Brait
- Industry: Retail, mining, and industrial products
Christoffel Wiese is a South African billionaire businessman whose primary source of wealth is consumer retail. The businessman's consistent investment in the retail business has been instrumental in increasing his wealth.
The billionaire owns an 18% stake in Shoprite, currently valued at $910 million. Wiese is also the chairman of PEP, where he owns 44% of the company's shares.
His other assets include stakes at Invicta Holdings, a manufacturing conglomerate known as Brait, a private equity firm, and Pallinghurst, which invests in mining. Christoffel Wiesel and family are worth $1.1 billion.
10. Stephen Bradley Saad and family - $1.2 billion
Source: Getty Images
- Company: Aspen Pharmacare
- Industry: Pharmaceuticals
Stephen Bradley Saad is a South African billionaire and the founder and CEO of Aspen Pharmacare. This is the continent's largest producer of generic medicine. Stephen Bradley Saad also owns a private game reserve and Sharks, a rugby union club.
Aspen Pharmacare trades on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and currently markets generic medicines in more than 150 countries.
Seven years ago, Saad won the Entrepreneur of the Year award at the All-Africa Business Leaders Awards gala. Stephen Bradley Saad and family are among the top 10 most powerful families in South Africa with net worth of $1.2 billion.
9. Christo Wiese and family - $1.2 billion
Source: Getty Images
- Company: Shoprite and Collins Property Group
- Industry: Retail
Christo Wiese's source of wealth is consumer retail. In 2021 Shoprite stores were considered to be the sixth overall favorite brand, with a third most valued brand in South Africa.
He owns various properties such as Lourensford Estate the wine producer and a private game reserve in Kalahari Desert. Christo Wiese and family are worth around $1.2 billion.
8. Michiel Le Roux and family - $1.2 billion
Source: Getty Images
- Company: Capitec Bank
- Industry: Banking
Michiel accumulated his wealth by venturing into the banking industry. He founded Capitec Bank in 2001 and currently owns an 11% stake in the company. Capitec Bank trades in the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and targets the country's emerging middle class.
He is also a member of the bank's board and previously ran Boland Bank, among other smaller banks. Michiel Le Roux and his family are currently valued at $1.2 billion.
7. Allan Gray family - $1.8 billion
Source: Getty Images
- Company: Allan Gray Limited
- Industry: Financial services
Allan Gray was the founder of Allan Gray Limited, an investment management and financial services company. He founded the company in 1973 after working at Fidelity for eight years. Before then, he had studied and graduated from Harvard.
Allan Gray died in 2019. Today, his family is among the richest and most powerful ones in the entire country with an estimated net worth of $1.8 billion.
6. Patrice Motsepe and family - $2.6 billion
Source: UGC
- Company: African Rainbow Minerals
- Industry: Mining, financial services, sports
Patrice is a renowned South African billionaire businessman best known for founding African Rainbow Minerals. The company has interests in the mining and processing of ferrous metals, gold, base metals, and platinum.
Additionally, Patrice sits on several companies' boards, among them Harmony Gold, the world's 12th largest gold mining company, where he is the non-executive chairman.
He is also the deputy chairman of Sanlam. In 2003, Motsepe gained full ownership of Mamelodi Sundown. Currently, the Patrice Motsepe and family are worth $2.6 billion.
5. Douw Steyn and family - $2.647 billion
Source: UGC
- Company: BGL Group
- Industry: Insurance and financial services
Douw Gerbrand Steyn is a South African billionaire businessman best known as the founder of BGL Group, an England-based insurance and financial services company. BGL Group is also the parent company of the incredibly popular Comparethemarket.com website.
Besides business, Douw also has deep links to South African politics, having housed the former South African president Nelson Mandela at some point. Douw Steyn and family are worth £2.1 billion ($2.647 billion). They are among the top 10 richest families in South Africa.
4. Koos Bekker and family - $2.7 billion
Source: Getty Images
- Company: Naspers
- Industry: Media and publishing
The Bekkers are among the wealthiest families in South Africa today. The Koos Bekker family has holdings in diversified economic sectors, most notably in media and publishing.
Jacobus Bekker, the family's patriarch, is one of South Africa's richest men, thanks to his stake in companies such as Prosus, Naspers and Tencent, the Chinese multinational technology and entertainment conglomerate.
Tencent was part of the founding members of MultiChoice and M-Net in 1985. Currently, the Bekker family is worth $2.7 billion.
3. Ivan Glasenberg and family - $8 billion
Source: UGC
- Company: Glencore
- Industry: Mining
Ivan Glasenberg was former chief executive officer of Glencore, one of the commodity trading and mining companies. He was the company's CEO from 2002 to 2021. Ivan used his own divided to buy more than 15% of Glencore's stock, placing him as among the richest mining billionaire. Ivan Glasenberg and family are worth $8 billion.
2. Nicky Oppenheimer and family - $9.4 billion
Source: UGC
- Company: DeBeers
- Industry: Diamond Mining
Nicky Oppenheimer is a South African business magnate renowned for his role as the former chairman of De Beers, one of the biggest diamond mining companies in South Africa. Nicky has also been among Africa's wealthiest men for several years now.
Nicky hails from a wealthy family and was born an heir to the Oppenheimer family's companies, most dealing with the mining and trading of industrial and cosmetic diamonds. For 85 years, the Oppenheimer family has occupied one of the top spots in the world's diamond trade.
In 2012, the family sold some of its stake in DeBeers to the firm mining group Anglo American for $1.5 billion in cash. In 2014, Nicky started Fireblade Aviation in Johannesburg, which operates chartered flights.
He also owns at least 720 square miles of conservation land across Mzansi, Zimbabwe and Botswana. Nicky Oppenheimer and family are worth $9.4 billion.
1. Johann Rupert and family - $11.4 billion
Source: Getty Images
- Company: Compagnie Financiere Richemont, Rembrandt, Remgro
- Industry: Watches, mining, and financial services
The Rupert family is the wealthiest and most influential family in South Africa. The Ruperts have businesses both locally and internationally. It currently controls Compagnie Financiere Richemont, the world's largest luxury watchmaker, through a trust. The Swiss-based company's brands include Cartier and Jaeger-LeCoultre.
Johann Rupert was born to a business-oriented family. His father, Anton Rupert, amassed the family's wealth through a chain of businesses. He started by selling cigarettes and later transitioned to imported cigars which were hard to come by in the country. He later diversified to imported luxury goods.
Anton later became one of the wealthiest people on the continent, and after his death in 2006, his son Johann Rupert took over the family's business. The family has one major company Rembrandt, which has two leading conglomerates, Richemont and Remgro. The Rupert family's net worth is currently estimated to be $11.4 billion.
Richemont is based in Switzerland and deals with luxury goods, while Remgro is an investment company focusing on finance and mining. Remgro has stakes in more than 30 companies. The family's patriarch, Johann Rupert, is the richest man in South Africa.
Who are the richest couples in South Africa?
Patrice Motsepe and Precious Moloi-Motsepe are widely regarded as the richest South African couple. They are valued at about $2.6 billion and are actively involved in the mining business.
Who is the top 10 richest person in South Africa?
Stephen Bradley Saad is among the top 10 richest people in South Africa. He has an estimated net worth of $1.2 billion. He is the primary co-founder, CEO, and head of Aspen Pharmacare's board of directors.
Which is the richest family in South Africa?
The Rupert family holds the title of the wealthiest and most influential family in South Africa, boasting business interests on both domestic and global fronts. Presently, their net worth is estimated to stand at $11. 4 billion.
Who are the richest African families?
Africa's wealthiest families comprise the Dangotes, whose net worth amounts to $13.9 billion, the Ruperts with a net worth of $11.4 billion, and the Oppenheimers, whose wealth is estimated at $9.4 billion.
Who is the 5 billionaires in South Africa?
The top billionaires in South Africa are Johann Rupert and family ($11.4 billion), Nicky Oppenheimer and family ($9.4 billion), Ivan Glasenberg ($8 billion), Koos Bekker ($2.7 billion) and Douw Steyn ($2.647 billion).
Who has the most wealth in South Africa?
The Rupert family are the most wealthiest family in South Africa. They are also the second richest in Africa.
There are numerous most powerful families in South Africa with interests in wide-ranging industries. These families have invested heavily in the country's goods and services sectors, with the most common ones being mining, financial services, and retail.
Briefly.co.za recently published an article about the richest countries in Africa by GDP. Africa is a powerhouse of resources and innovation. With 54 countries on the continent, much growth and development have been witnessed in recent years.
Some countries have risen above their expected growth rate performance, while others have struggled. Which are the richest African countries, and what are their GDPs?
Source: Briefly News
Priscillah Mueni (Lifestyle writer) Priscillah Mueni is a lifestyle and entertainment content creator with more than 4 years of experience. She graduated from Meru University of Science and Technology with a Bachelor of Technology in Civil Engineering in 2019. In 2023, Priscillah finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. She has been writing articles on Briefly.co.za since 2019. Email: pshmueni@gmail.com
Jackline Wangare (Lifestyle writer) Jackline Simwa is a content writer at Briefly.co.za, where she has worked since mid-2021. She tackles diverse topics, including finance, entertainment, sports, and lifestyle. Previously, she worked at The Campanile by Kenyatta University. She has more than five years in writing. Jackline graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics (2019) and a Diploma in Marketing (2015) from Kenyatta University. In 2023, Jackline finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques and Google News Initiative course in 2024. Email: simwajackie2022@gmail.com.
