It’s often said that making money is easy… when you already have some to begin with.
The power of compound interest, smart investments, and generational wealth is very real – a fact that’s earned compound interest the nickname “the eighth wonder of the world.”
As the age-old saying goes, “the rich get richer.” And in South Africa, a handful of high-profile businessmen have used savvy strategies, bold decisions, and advantageous starting points to grow staggering fortunes.
These seven South African men have made serious money over the years – we’re talking billions. Whether through mining, finance, tech, or media, they’ve built empires that continue to expand, both at home and on the global stage.
And if you’re wondering just how much wealth we’re talking about… let’s just say: it’s enough to make your calculator sweat.
Here are South Africa’s richest men – and how they made (and keep making) their fortunes.
Richest in South Africa
According to Forbes’ real-time tracking of billionaires, Johann Rupert and his family are the richest in South Africa, with a net worth of $14.5 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.
Last week, Rupert was the big ‘winner’ as his net worth grew by $800 million (R14.2 billion).
Oppenheimer, Motsepe, Le Roux, Mouton and Wiese all gained $100 million (R1.8 billion) to their net worths.
Cumulatively, South Africa’s seven dollar billionaires are worth $38 billion (R689 billion).
Meanwhile, in terms of the overall world list, South Africa-born Elon Musk remains the world’s richest person with a reported $394 billion.
Below, the list of the top seven richest South Africans in the world as of 9 July 2025.
| Rank | Name | Last week | This week | Source |
| 177 | Johann Rupert & family | $13.7bn | $14.5bn | Luxury goods |
| 275 | Nicky Oppenheimer & family | $10.4bn | $10.5bn | Diamonds |
| 1 059 | Koos Bekker | $3.6bn | $3.6bn | Media, investments |
| 1 185 | Patrice Motsepe | $3.2bn | $3.3bn | Mining |
| 1 495 | Michiel Le Roux | $2.5bn | $2.6bn | Banking |
| 2 036 | Jannie Mouton & family | $1.7bn | $1.8bn | Retail |
| 2 134 | Christo Wiese | $1.6bn | $1.7bn | Financial services |
| TOTAL | $36.7bn | $38bn |
How far off are YOU from joining this list of South African dollar billionaires?
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