South Africa is globally known for a number of unique traits, such as being the only country in the world with 11 official languages and for its admirable transition from apartheid to democracy. Something else that the country is becoming increasingly well-known for is the number of famous South African entrepreneurs it has produced through the years.
Elon Musk
Born on Pretoria in 1971, Musk is a world-renowned serial entrepreneur. As the founder of electric car company Tesla, SpaceX and Solar City, Musk is also largely credited with being the co-founder of PayPal, which was later bought by eBay.
Musk started out by teaching himself how to program computers at the age of 10. By the age of 12 he was selling his own computer games. After matriculating from Pretoria Boys High School, he moved to Canada and later studied in the United States.
Renowned for his intense work ethic, Musk works up to 80 or 100 hours a week.
He has said: “if you like what you’re doing, you think about it even when you’re not working. It’s something that your mind is drawn to.”
“If something is important enough, you need to try, even is the probable outcome is failure.”
Johann Rupert
Rupert is the founder of the Rembrandt group, one of the foremost luxury groups in the world. He started by manufacturing cigarettes in his garage and later evolved the business into Remgro and Richemont.
He also owns stakes in Remgro and Reinet, a Luxembourg based investment holding company that has a stake in British American Tobacco Company. Some of his most recent exploits include vocal opposition of plans to allow fracking in the Karoo, a semi-desert region where he owns land.
Raymond Ackerman
Ackerman sits at the helm of one of the country’s foremost retail groups- PicknPay. Since starting out with four stores in the 1960s, Ackerman has steered the company towards an annual turnover of R37 billion.
Mark Shuttleworth
Shuttleworth is one of the most famous South African entrepreneurs. He is also widely known for being the first African in space. He is the founder of Thawte (1995) a company that specialises in certification and internet security.