The two South Africans who are listed among the 25 richest people in the UK
The Sunday Times in the UK has published its annual Rich List, which features two familiar South African businessmen among the top 25 richest people in the country.
The list covers the 1,000 richest individuals and families in the country, including many businessmen and women who have dual citizenship (through business, investments or residency).
The 29th edition of the list revealed that the 500 richest individuals and families in the UK in 2017 are now wealthier than the entire top 1,000 were in 2016.
The total wealth of the top 1,000 people on the list has increased by 14% since last year, rising by £83 billion to £658 billion (R11.53 trillion).
The combined wealth of the top 500 individuals was £580.4 billion, which is more than the £575.6 billion total of all 1,000 richest people last year.
There are 134 billionaires based in Britain, led by Sri and Gopi Hinduja, with the wealth of the Indian-born brothers put at £16.2 billion (R283 billion) – up £3.2 billion from last year.
The Hinduja brothers amassed their wealth through a diversified portfolio of business, ranging from property development to car manufacturing.
South Africans among the top
As with previous years, South Africans featured among the top ranks – with retail businessman, Christo Wiese and diamond magnate, Nicky Oppenheimer showing up.
Only the two South African businessmen are listed among the top 25 in 2017, down from three who made it in 2016, with SA-born, Swazi businessman Nathan Kirsh dropping from the upper rankings.
Both Oppenheimer and Wiese saw their wealth increase between the 2016 and 2017 lists, though both dropped in the rankings themselves – Wiese from 22nd richest to 24th, and Oppenheimer from 18th richest to 19th.
Oppenheimer comes out tops for South Africa with a net worth of £5.53 billion (R96.9 billion), with Wiese listed as having a net worth of £4.62 billion (R80.9 billion).
The South African businessmen have many business interests and some property in the UK, which qualifies them for inclusion on the list.
Wiese, through investment, owns UK retail brands, and the Oppenheimers own an estate and organic farm in the country.
Richest South Africans
| # | Name | 2015 wealth (GBP) | 2016 wealth (GBP) | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | Nicky Oppenheimer | £4.83 billion | £5.53 billion | +14.5% |
| 24 | Christo Wiese | £4.33 billion | £4.62 billion | +6.7% |
Top 25 richest people
| # | Name | Wealth (GBP) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sri and Gopi Hinduja | £16.2 billion |
| 2 | Len Blavatnik | £16.0 billion |
| 3 | David and Simon Reuben | £14.0 billion |
| 4 | Lakshmi Mittal | £13.2 billion |
| 5 | Alisher Usmanov | £11.8 billion |
| 5 | Ernesto and Kirsty Bertarelli | £11.5 billion |
| 7 | Guy, George and Galen Jr Weston and family | £10.5 billion |
| 8 | Kirsten and Jorn Rausing | £9.7 billion |
| 9 | The Duke of Westminster and the Grosvenor family | £9.5 billion |
| 10 | Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken and Michel de Carvalho | £9.3 billion |
| 11 | Hans Rausing and family | £9.25 billion |
| 12 | John Fredriksen | £8.06 billion |
| 13 | Roman Abramovich | £8.05 billion |
| 14 | Sir James Dyson | £7.8 billion |
| 15 | Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay | £7.2 billion |
| 16 | Mohamed Bin Issa Al Jaber and family | £6.8 billion |
| 17 | Earl Cadogan | £6.5 billion |
| 18 | Jim Ratcliffe | £5.75 billion |
| 19 | Nicky Oppenheimer | £5.53 billion |
| 20 | Carrie and Francois Perrodo and family | £5.18 billion |
| 21 | John Grayken | £5.09 billion |
| 22 | Denise, John, and Peter Coates | £5.0 billion |
| 23 | Sir Richard Branson | £4.86 billion |
| 24 | Christo Wiese | £4.62 billion |
| 25 | Joe Lewis | £4.6 billion |
Conversions done at 1 GBP = 17.52 ZAR
Read: South Africa’s richest face three new wealth taxes: report
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