Patrice Motsepe has pledged R3.5 billion towards furthering South Africa’s land reform programme.

DAVOS-KLOSTERS/SWITZERLAND, 30JAN09 – Patrice T. Motsepe, Executive Chairman, African Rainbow Minerals, South Africa captured during the session ‘Global Industry Outlook 1’ at the Annual Meeting 2009 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, January 30, 2009.

Copyright by World Economic Forum swiss-image.ch/Photo by Monika Flueckiger

Motsepe makes Forbes 100 Greatest Living Business Minds list

Motsepe is in good company…

Patrice Motsepe has pledged R3.5 billion towards furthering South Africa’s land reform programme.

DAVOS-KLOSTERS/SWITZERLAND, 30JAN09 – Patrice T. Motsepe, Executive Chairman, African Rainbow Minerals, South Africa captured during the session ‘Global Industry Outlook 1’ at the Annual Meeting 2009 of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, January 30, 2009.

Copyright by World Economic Forum swiss-image.ch/Photo by Monika Flueckiger

South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe has made it onto the Forbes 100 Greatest Living Business Minds list.

The list included some big names, from varied backgrounds.

Among them were Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, architect Frank Gehry, media mogul Oprah Winfrey, singers Bono and Paul McCartney and hip hop mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.

The National African Federated Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Nafcoc) send their congratulations to Motsepe.

Monga Phaladi, Secretary General of Nafcoc said: “Nafcoc is particularly proud and inspired by Mr Motsepe’s accolades and achievement”.

The 55-year old made most of his money through the mining industry, but it’s not always been smooth sailing.

Earlier this month, when five miners from the Kusasalethu mine near Carletonville died, Minister of Mineral Resources Mosebenzi Zwane urged Motsepe to pay the mine workers “decent salaries”.

He told Motsepe – who’s also chairperson of football club Mamelodi Sundowns – to “stop what you are doing at Sundowns and do it here [in the mining industry],” adding that, “mine workers should be paid decent salaries”.

Motsepe, meanwhile, said his company took full responsibility.

“As management, as the company, we take full responsibility, whatever the outcome. This country and the whole of the economy was built by the sacrifices of mine workers.”