\u201cThen my parents moved to Bloemfontein, but on weekends I was back on the farm.\u201d Fourie learnt a lot about business from his entrepreneur father, who never worked for a salary or for somebody else. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a young boy he would spend Friday afternoons and weekends with his dad installing telephone poles across the Free State. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Working with his dad taught him not only about the value of hard work, but also to think innovatively to solve problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite the early exposure to business through his father, Fourie was far from an academic. \u201cI was not a very good student at school. I was more into sport, so studying and maths came second,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He matriculated from Grey College in Bloemfontein in 1981 and, after completing military service, moved to Stellenbosch in 1984 to pursue a BCom degree, later followed by an honours in accounting at Stellenbosch University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was at university that Fourie\u2019s mindset began to shift. \u201cIt was actually when I started my BCom Accounting that I got serious about school,\u201d Fourie said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBy my second year, I decided this is what I want to do, and I really went for it. I didn\u2019t want to work for a salary. I wanted to build my own business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fourie began his career at Stellenbosch Farmers\u2019 Winery (SFW), working in financial planning before managing the company\u2019s sales and distribution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
His trajectory was swift. \u201cI was lucky. At 27, I was asked to run the SFW operations in KwaZulu-Natal. At 32, I was given the old Transvaal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and Gauteng.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The start of Capitec Bank<\/h2>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/capitec-bank-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nFourie said that when he was 37, he got a call asking if he wanted to help start a bank. That call came from Carl Fischer, who introduced Fourie to Michiel le Roux, the future co-founder of Capitec. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know Michiel personally, but I knew of him. After a few conversations, I was in. It was just the excitement of building something from scratch,\u201d said Fourie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2000, Fourie joined what would become Capitec Bank. At the time, they were venturing into the unknown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe knew nothing about banking; we came from liquor, but the idea of doing things differently really drove us.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Capitec was officially founded in 2001. It initially offered short-term loans with just 55 branches and 25,000 clients, with a plan to disrupt the traditional banking model. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their customer-first approach led to innovations that were considered radical at the time. This included branches without glass dividers, equal pricing for all income groups, and longer operating hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLooking back, we were probably a little crazy. Trying to build a bank with very little capital and take on the big four, but we believed in our model,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although many initially saw Capitec as a bank for lower-income, rural South Africans, the plan was always broader. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFrom day one, our plan was to bank 95% of South Africans.\u201d That goal, he said, took years to realise. \u201cPeople only really began to understand us around 2012 or 2013.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After serving as Chief Operating Officer, Fourie took over as CEO on 1 January 2014. Under his leadership, Capitec expanded dramatically. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fourie’s future plans<\/h2>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Gerrie-Fourie-1024x576.jpg\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nToday, it boasts nearly 900 branches, over 24 million clients, and holds a 15% market share among high-income earners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been over two decades of working weekends, late nights, constantly challenging ourselves,\u201d said Fourie. \u201cCapitec is part of my DNA. I\u2019ve lived and breathed it.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nFourie said that when he was 37, he got a call asking if he wanted to help start a bank. That call came from Carl Fischer, who introduced Fourie to Michiel le Roux, the future co-founder of Capitec. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know Michiel personally, but I knew of him. After a few conversations, I was in. It was just the excitement of building something from scratch,\u201d said Fourie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2000, Fourie joined what would become Capitec Bank. At the time, they were venturing into the unknown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe knew nothing about banking; we came from liquor, but the idea of doing things differently really drove us.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Capitec was officially founded in 2001. It initially offered short-term loans with just 55 branches and 25,000 clients, with a plan to disrupt the traditional banking model. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their customer-first approach led to innovations that were considered radical at the time. This included branches without glass dividers, equal pricing for all income groups, and longer operating hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLooking back, we were probably a little crazy. Trying to build a bank with very little capital and take on the big four, but we believed in our model,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although many initially saw Capitec as a bank for lower-income, rural South Africans, the plan was always broader. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFrom day one, our plan was to bank 95% of South Africans.\u201d That goal, he said, took years to realise. \u201cPeople only really began to understand us around 2012 or 2013.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After serving as Chief Operating Officer, Fourie took over as CEO on 1 January 2014. Under his leadership, Capitec expanded dramatically. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fourie’s future plans<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nToday, it boasts nearly 900 branches, over 24 million clients, and holds a 15% market share among high-income earners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been over two decades of working weekends, late nights, constantly challenging ourselves,\u201d said Fourie. \u201cCapitec is part of my DNA. I\u2019ve lived and breathed it.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nToday, it boasts nearly 900 branches, over 24 million clients, and holds a 15% market share among high-income earners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been over two decades of working weekends, late nights, constantly challenging ourselves,\u201d said Fourie. \u201cCapitec is part of my DNA. I\u2019ve lived and breathed it.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n