Wealth

South Africa’s billionaires made R382 million every day in 2025

Malcolm Libera

 ·25 Dec 2025

While 2025 may have been a challenging year for many South Africans, it marked an extraordinary financial period for the country’s billionaires.

As the majority of the population grappled with stubbornly high costs of living, seven of South Africa’s wealthiest individuals experienced a dramatic surge in their wealth, collectively adding a staggering $8.3 billion (R139.2 billion) to their fortunes.

This translates to an average of R382 million gained every day since January.

At the close of the year, the combined net worth of these seven tycoons stood at $41 billion (R687.5 billion).

These individuals include luxury goods magnate Johann Rupert, former diamond baron Nicky Oppenheimer, media tycoon Koos Bekker, mining executive Patrice Motsepe, Capitec founder Michiel le Roux, retail titan Christo Wiese, and recently added finance giant Jannie Mouton. 

These individuals consolidated their positions as South Africa’s wealthiest while also climbing the global billionaire rankings tracked by Forbes.

Johann Rupert maintained his status as the richest person in South Africa and the second richest in Africa, following Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote.

Rupert’s fortune, valued at $16 billion (R268 billion), was buoyed by a diversified portfolio of investments. The Rupert family’s listed investments have rallied this year.

Richemont, the luxury goods company chaired by Rupert, surged nearly 30%, valued at just under R2 trillion on the JSE.

Additionally, his investment holding company, Remgro, is up 16% this year, with a market valuation of R95 billion, while Reinet is up 25%, valued at R109 billion.

Earlier this year, the family ended its generational association with the tobacco industry, which played a big role in its wealth generation over the decades.

In January, Reinet announced its exit from British American Tobacco (BAT), selling its 43.3 million shares for £1.221 billion.

Nicky Oppenheimer, who once controlled De Beers, secured his place among the world’s top 300 billionaires, although he dropped 22 spots to rank 292nd globally.

Despite the drop, his net worth increased by $1.0 billion (R16.8 billion).

Oppenheimer’s investments and strategic asset management have continued to yield impressive returns.

Patrice Motsepe, recognised as Africa’s first black billionaire, posted notable gains in his net worth, with an estimated $900 million (R15.1 billion) added to his fortune.

Despite this comparatively modest increase, Motsepe remains a significant figure in the global mining sector.

Media mogul Koos Bekker, Capitec founder Michiel le Roux, and retail magnate Christo Wiese collectively saw their net worth grow by approximately $2.8 million (R46.9 billion).

These gains propelled the trio up the global billionaire rankings, with their combined rise totalling 680 spots.

Jannie Mouton was added among South Africa’s dollar-billionaires on Forbes’ real-time tracking of billionaires in March 2025. 

Johannes “Jannie” Mouton is a South African businessman who founded the investment holding company PSG Group.

According to Forbes’ real-time tracking of billionaires, Mouton had a net worth of $1.6 billion (R26.8 billion) when he was added. 

However, as of December, he has gained +$0.6 billion (R10.1 billion). 

South Africans on Forbes’ list