If you’re looking for inspiration, look no further… Here’s a taste of some of the finest entrepreneurial minds South Africa has known.
One of the best ways to learn how to do something is to watch an expert at work, which is why we’ve rounded up some of the most successful South African entrepreneurs to date. These are the crème de la crème of SA business – stay tuned for the up-and-coming stars.
Not only the first African in space – although that’s a pretty good title to put on your business card – Mark Shuttleworth is also an information technology entrepreneur, and a science and maths guru. He has founded a number of successful businesses, most strikingly Thawte Consulting, which he sold to VeriSign in 1999 for (wait for it) $575 million. A self-made billionaire at the tender age of 21, he then went on to found the Hip2B² initiative, to encourage South Africa learners to get excited about maths, science and information technology, and the Shuttleworth Foundation, which provides “funding for dynamic leaders who are at the forefront of social change”. His most recent creation is Ubuntu, a free operating system.
Most famous for being one of the ‘old order’ of South African entrepreneurs, and for being the host of the South African version of The Apprentice, Tokyo Sexwale founded Mvelaphanda Holdings (in Venda, mvelaphanda means ‘progress’). He is still executive chairman of the company, which is focused on mining and energy.
After famously being fired from Checkers, Raymond Ackerman started a little supermarket in Cape Town known as Pick n Pay… These days, Pick n Pay is one of the retail giants in Africa, with an annual turnover of 37 billion rand. Raymond Ackerman retired in 2010, and is no longer director of the company – he has handed over the reins to his children. His secret to success is “10 percent capital and 90 percent guts” – that’s what he said he had when he started the first Pick n Pay in 1967. He has since launched the Raymond Ackerman Academy of Entrepreneurial Development to encourage young people to start their own entrepreneurial journey.
Sol Kerzner’s name is pretty much synonymous with the words ‘business magnate’. Born to Jewish Russian immigrants who started a hotel chain, Kerzner studied to be a chartered accountant and took over the family hotels. He went on to create the most successful hotel group in South Africa: Sun International. These days, he’s the founder, CEO and chairman of Kerzner International, whose tagline pretty much says it all: “An extraordinary world lies just beyond your expectations”.
These are just a few of the brightest entrepreneurs South Africa has produced… Who are your local entrepreneurial heroes?