employee CCMA mandatory vaccine

The CCMA has ruled in favour of an employee over mandatory vaccine policy. Image: Pixabay.

SA starts 2022 with FIVE dollar-billionaires – here’s what they are worth

These pandemic-proof South Africans have proved to be untouchable in the past 12 months, remaining dollar-billionaires throughout

employee CCMA mandatory vaccine

The CCMA has ruled in favour of an employee over mandatory vaccine policy. Image: Pixabay.

It’s the most exclusive of all the clubs in South Africa – and dollar-billionaires are very few and far between on these shores. However, five men – all worth over R15 billion – have made the cut at the advent of the new year.

It’s a list made up of all the usual suspects, and not a great deal has changed in the past 12 months. As per the status quo, the rich have got richer, and breaking into this elite list is easier said than done.

Who are the dollar-billionaires of South Africa?

We’ve got the same five dollar-billionaires we had last year: Johann Rupert, Nicky Oppenheimer, Patrice Motsepe, Koos Bekker, and Michiel le Roux. Their collective wealth totals over $27 billion between them – but one is clear of the chasing pack.

Johann Rupert and his family estate is estimated to be worth between $11bn – $12bn, or R165bn – R180bn. His vast fortune has expanded by roughly 50% in the past 12 months, according to the Bloomberg Billionaire’s Index, adding $4bn / R60bn to his spiralling net worth.

That makes the investment tycoon the richest man in South Africa – but not on the continent. JR still trails behind the Nigerian businessman Aliko Dangote, who has over $19 billion – almost R300 billion – to his name.

Richest people in SA for 2022

Nicky Oppenheimer is also $800 million better off this year, with his estimated wealth sitting at the $8 billion mark. At least someone’s having a good pandemic, and this growth in fortune has put Oppenheimer in the world’s ‘richest 350 citizens’.

Patrice Motsepe and Koos Bekker are almost neck and neck in the latest valuations. Mining magnate Motsepe is thought to be worth $3 billion, with Naspers bigwig Bekker trailing behind with $2.8 billion (as reported by Forbes).

Our last entry on the list is Michiel le Roux – his net worth actually dropped under $1 billion in 2020, before the Capitec founder rallied back to a respectable $1.2 billion in the bank.