These are South Africa’s 8 richest people
· The South African
South Africa’s wealthiest business leaders continue to command enormous fortunes, with the country’s eight richest individuals worth a combined $43.2 billion (around R700 billion), according to the latest Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List.
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The ranking highlights the continued concentration of wealth among entrepreneurs and investors with major interests spanning luxury goods, diamonds, mining, banking, media, financial services and retail.
Johann Rupert remains SA’s richest
Johann Rupert remains South Africa’s wealthiest individual, with an estimated fortune of $15.9 billion.
Rupert’s wealth is primarily linked to luxury goods group Richemont, the Swiss-based company behind some of the world’s best-known luxury brands.
He is followed by Nicky Oppenheimer, with an estimated fortune of $10.6 billion. Oppenheimer’s wealth is rooted in the diamond industry and the family’s historic association with De Beers.
Together, Rupert and Oppenheimer account for more than $26.5 billion of the wealth held by South Africa’s top eight.
Mining and banking billionaires
Patrice Motsepe, founder of African Rainbow Minerals, ranks third with an estimated fortune of $3.6 billion.
Michiel Le Roux, one of the founders of Capitec, is also estimated to be worth $3.6 billion, putting him just behind Motsepe.
Koos Bekker, a key figure in South Africa’s media and investment sector and chairman of Naspers, rounds out the top five with an estimated fortune of $3.3 billion.
The remainder of the ranking is made up by some of South Africa’s best-known business figures.
Jannie Mouton, founder of PSG Group, has an estimated fortune of $2.6 billion, while retail entrepreneur Christoffel Wiese is worth approximately $1.9 billion.
Completing the list is Paul van Zuydam, the South African-born entrepreneur associated with premium cookware brand Le Creuset, with an estimated fortune of $1.7 billion.
Below, the list of the top eight richest South Africans in the world as of 15 September 2026.
RankNameNet worth ($)Industry182Johann Rupert$15.9 billionLuxury goods346Nicky Oppenheimer$10.6 billionDiamonds1 197Patrice Motsepe$3.6 billionMining1 212Michiel Le Roux$3.6 billionBanking1 289Koos Bekker$3.3 billionMedia, investments1 643Jannie Mouton$2.6 billionFinancial services2 233Christoffel Wiese$1.9 billionRetail2 431Paul van Zuydam$1.7 billionLe CreusetTOTAL$45.5 billionHow far off are YOU from joining this list of South African dollar billionaires?
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