SA has a new “richest person”: These are Mzansi’s six dollar-billionaires

As per new year tradition, the Bloomberg Billionaire Index has been released for 2020. It features the 500 richest people in the world, charting their rise to financial immortality. South Africa has three representatives amongst the most elite of the lot, and three other dollar-billionaires who fall just outside of the ultimate rich-list.

Who is the richest person in the world?

First up, we’re looking at the top 10 wealthiest people in the world: Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos narrowly tops the list with $115 billion in the bank. Meanwhile, Bill Gates is hot on his heels in second ($113 billion). French consumer beneficiary Bernard Arnault is one of only two non-Americans in the top ten, and his $105 billion fortune puts him in third. Warren Buffett (various investments) and Mark Zuckerberg (tech) complete the top five.

1. Jeff Bezos – $115 billion
2. Bill Gates – $113 billion
3. Bernard Arnault – $105 billion
4. Warren Buffett – $89 billion
5. Mark Zuckerberg – $78 billion
6. Amancio Ortega – $75 billion
7. Larry Page – $64 billion
8. Sergey Brin – $62.7 billion
9. Charles Koch – $62.1 billion
10. Julia Koch – $62 billion

South African billionaires: Top three make elite rich list

Now to domestic matters. According to Bloomberg, South Africa officially has a new “richest person”, but he’s probably the most familiar of them all: Johann Rupert’s personal fortune is now larger than that of Nicky Oppenheimers, but the difference between the two could not be much slimmer.

Rupert stands as the world’s 238th-richest person, with $7.38 billion in the bank. The luxury watchmaker and investment supremo is marginally richer than Oppenheimer, whose vast cash reserves come from the De Beers mining legacy. He’s actually 239th on the list, with $7.35 billion to his name. The most prominent South Africans here can be found side-by-side.

Then we’ve got Natie Kirsch on the Index, too. His bank balance of $6.16 billion puts him in 312th position. Kirsch has been based in the US for a long time, and founded a successful group of food and beverage companies. He is a regular fixture on Bloomberg’s top 500.

The richest people in South Africa

They may not be in the highest possible echelons of wealth, but there’s no need to feel bad for South Africa’s other three dollar-billionaires. They miss out on the exclusive list, but we sincerely doubt they’ll lose any sleep over it. Patrice Motsepe is within the world’s top 1 000 richest people, closely followed by Koos Becker. Michiel Le Roux can also claim the highly-coveted status of being amongst the “super-rich”, too.

Motsepe (worth $2.6 billion) has made his fortune from various mining ventures, and his love of sport and philantrophy have made him a household name in Mzansi. Koos Becker runs the show at Naspers, and his media portfolio has seen him earn $2.4 billion over the years. Capitec Bank’s Le Roux is worth $1.3 billion.

South Africa’s dollar-billionaires:

• Johann Rupert – $7.38 billion / R103.4 billion
• Nicky Oppenheimer – $7.35 billion / R102.98 billion
• Natie Kirsch – $6.16 billion / R86.3 billion
• Patrice Motsepe – $2.6 billion / R36.4 billion
• Koos Becker – $2.4 billion / R33.62 billion
• Michiel Le Roux – $1.3 billion / R18.21 billion