Entrepreneurship is a widely popular field. Many people earned billions out of nothing, and they stand out as one of the wealthiest people in the world. This article will be about South African entrepreneurs, their stories, and how they managed to become one of the richest people in the world.
Nicky Oppenheimer
Nicky Oppenheimer heads one of the largest diamond mining companies in the world. Oppenheimer’s revenue in 2017 amounted to more than $6 billion. However, under the updated laws of South Africa, Nick gives 26% of the mined diamonds to the state. If not for changes in the laws of South Africa, Oppenheimer would be the richest businessman in the world.
One of the wealthiest people in South Africa currently holds the role of chairman of the De Beers diamond mining corporation, which is involved in diamond mining, processing and cutting of precious stones. In addition to the main company, Oppenheimer has a stake in a precious metals mining company.
De Beers was founded by Ernest Oppenheimer, Nicky’s grandfather. He was the first chairman of this company from the Oppenheimer family. Since then, the position of chairman of the board has been transferred to his grandson, Nicky. Nicky Oppenheimer graduated from Oxford University, Department of Economics and Political Science. He married at the age of 23 years to Orcillia Lasch, whose father was a major industrial speculator.
There were some rumours in South Africa that Oppenheimer was actively involved in forex trading and actually was among best forex traders in South Africa. While this statement lacks evidence and base, it would be no surprise for a person like Nicky Oppenheimer to have a certain knowledge of conducting trading in forex. It is a field which requires a lot of experience that Oppenheimer does not lack.
In addition to the main business, he runs a small farm and, together with his wife, he organized a luxurious garden, the entrance to which is open to visitors. After a change in the laws of South Africa, the company’s business is not going as smoothly as before; however, the Oppenheimer family is doing everything to remain among the largest magnates in the diamond business.
Johann Rupert
Johann Rupert is president of the Swiss company Richemont. The company’s activities are associated with luxury items and antique luxury. In addition, Johan’s assets include companies such as Remgo and Venfin. It is originally from Stellenbosch, in southern Africa.
Johann’s father, Anton Rupert, was an African entrepreneur, and his mother was Habert. Johann did not study abroad but preferred to study in his own city, where he graduated from the University and received a degree in economics. He is married and has three children.
In 1984, Johann sold RMB and decided to develop his father’s company, the Ramrandt Group, as CEO. This conglomerate owned many famous brands and business projects, however, in early 1989, Johann transferred his foreign assets and founded an empire that owned a number of well-known brands, for example, Cartier, Chloe and others. In the 1990s, a successful businessman invested in Die Burger and a hypermarket. He is awarded the honorary title of the World Economy Forum in the city of Davos. Rupert’s affairs are noticeably uphill, and his companies are the largest in the world.
Elon Musk
I think this person does not need further explanation – Elon Musk, who is technically a citizen of three countries, Canada, the United States and South Africa, was born in the latter. He is currently one of the most popular entrepreneurs in the world and is probably known for being CEO of SpaceX and product architect of Tesla.
It was Elon Musk who laid the foundation to PayPal, which is one of the most used payment systems in the world. He announced to conduct a mission to the Moon. Musk continues to amaze people with innovative ideas and seems like there are no borders for South African.
Elon Musk spends energy to create sophisticated artificial intelligence, and it is a way of future development.