It’s ‘easy’ to make money – when you have money. Compound interest really is the eighth wonder of the world!
As they say, the rich get richer, while the poor stay poor.
Money makes money – and these seven South Africans have made a lot of it over the years.
And by a lot, we mean a LOT!
How they made their money
According to Forbes’ real-time tracking of billionaires, Johann Rupert and his family are the richest in South Africa, with a net worth of $13.4 billion.
The Ruperts are followed by diamond magnate Nicky Oppenheimer, who boasts a net worth of $10.5 billion.
They are followed by Koos Bekker, Patrice Motsepe, Michiel Le Roux, Jannie Mouton and Christo Wiese.
South Africa’s seven-dollar billionaires all made their money in different ways – from luxury goods, diamonds, mining, media, banking and retail.
In the last week alone, Johann Rupert added $700 million to his net wealth, while all the others – apart from Patrice Motsepe – saw their fortunes grow.
In terms of the overall world list, South Africa-born Elon Musk remains the world’s richest person with a reported $388.6 billion.
Below, the list of the top seven richest South Africans in the world as of 29 April 2025.
| Rank | Name | Last week | This week | Source |
| 175 | Johann Rupert & family | $12.7bn | $13.4bn | Luxury goods |
| 251 | Nicky Oppenheimer & family | $10.4bn | $10.5bn | Diamonds |
| 1 127 | Koos Bekker | $3.2bn | $3.3bn | Media, investments |
| 1 253 | Patrice Motsepe | $3bn | $3bn | Mining |
| 1 525 | Michiel Le Roux | $2.1bn | $2.4bn | Banking |
| 2 075 | Jannie Mouton & family | $1.5bn | $1.7bn | Retail |
| 2 213 | Christo Wiese | $1.5bn | $1.6bn | Financial services |
| TOTAL | $34.4bn | $35.9bn |
How far off are YOU from joining this list of SA dollar billionaires?
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