John Rupert. Image: Alberto Bernasconi/Bloomberg
Johann Rupert is a well-known and successful businessman in South Africa, with interests in several top South African and global companies.
With an estimated net worth of around $11 billion, he ranks second on the Forbes African Billionaires List (R205 billion).
Johann Rupert and his family are also known for their charitable contributions.
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Thousands of people have been hired by the Rupert firms and Johann Rupert has been the highest individual taxpayer in South Africa for the past 20 years.
The Rupert family has a long history of sponsoring educational institutions, educational programs and environmental issues in South Africa.
Johann’s father, Anton Rupert, was active in the National Parks Trust of South Africa and helped set up the World Wide Fund for Nature’s South African activities.
Johann Rupert and his family have made donations to the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, the South African College of Tourism and Ikamva Labantu.
The Rupert Education Foundation sponsors a variety of educational development activities aimed at uplifting and supporting South African children and youth.
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Giving land and homes to poor people is one of the reasons why Johann Rupert and his wife Gaynor are most passionate.
The family has sponsored 2,000 title deeds in Stellenbosch and Graaff-Reinet.
Johann Rupert’s wealth explained
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Johann is the eldest son of Anton Rupert and his initiatives in the 1940s are the basis of the wealth of the Rupert family.
In the 1940s, Anton Rupert founded Voorbrand, a tobacco company. Rembrandt, who joined the South African cigarette and tobacco industry in 1948, was inspired by Voorbrand.
Rembrandt was a huge success in South Africa, listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange less than a decade after its inception.
In the 1970s, Rembrandt moved into new areas such as finance, mining, engineering and food.
Johann Rupert was studying economics at Stellenbosch University at the time, but dropped out to pursue a career in business.
In New York, he worked for Chase Manhattan and Lazard Freres before returning to South Africa in 1979 to found Rand Merchant Bank (RMB).
He was the CEO of RMB until 1984 when it merged with Rand Consolidated Investments to form RMB Holdings.
He left the company to work for Rembrandt.
Shortly after joining his father’s company, he spun off Rembrandt’s overseas assets to form Compagnie Financiere Richemont, a Swiss luxury goods holding company with names such as Cartier and Montblanc.
In 1991 he was appointed chairman of Rembrandt.
In 1995, Rembrandt and Richemont merged their tobacco companies into Rothmans International. It combined these holdings with those of British American Tobacco a few years later.
In 2000, Rembrandt was split into two listed holding companies, Remgro and Venfin, which brought about major changes.
Remgro was in charge of Rembrandt’s conventional assets, while Venfin was in charge of the technology-focused assets.
Remgro and VenFin merged less than a decade later to create Remgro, of which Johann Rupert is now chairman.
Rupert was named chairman and CEO of Richemont in 2000, and the company’s non-luxury business was spun off into Reinet Investments in 2008.
Rupert is now the chairman of Remgro, Richemont and Reinet.
With a market capitalization of R1.51 trillion, Richemont is the largest of the three companies. Reinet comes second with a market valuation of €3.76 billion (R73.63 billion), while Remgro is slightly smaller with a market capitalization of R72.98 billion.
The three companies have interests in a variety of domestic and foreign companies across a wide range of industries.
All companies in which Johann Rupert has a share
Remgro
Remgro’s broad portfolio includes companies in healthcare, consumer products, media and financial services. Local equities account for more than 70% of the company’s portfolio.
CompanyEffective interestSubsidiaries/Brands/InvestmentsMediclinic International44.6%MediclinicHirslandenCuramedER24IntellimedIntercareMedical Human ResourcesDistell31.7%NederburgDrostdy-HofPaarl PerleJC Le RouxSedgwicks Old BrownDurbanville HillsTwo OceansFleur De CapPongracz4th StreetAllesverlorenLauréatAutumn HarvestOvermeerShipKlipdriftRichelieuThree ShipsScottish LeaderViceroyAmarulaVan Ryn’sDeanstonBain’sCount PushkinHuntersSavannaExtreme EnergyEspritVawterBerniniVitafit AdayRCL Foods80.3%5 StarBobtailBonzoCanine CuisineCatmorCobbDogmorDriehoek FeedsEpolEquusFarmer BrownFeline CuisineRCL FoodsMnandi AmahewuMolatekMonatiNolaNumber 1 MageuOptimizorOumaPieman’sRainbowSafariSelatiSunbakeSupreme FlourTable MountainUltra PetVectorYapperYum YumSiqalo Foods100%RondoFloraRamaMeadowlandMarvello StorkOUTsurance Group30.6%OUTsurance International Holdings Pty LimitedYouiOUTvestOUTsurance Insurance OUTsurance Life Insurance4. gs (CIVH)57%DFAVumatelSigfox SASEACOM30%SEACOMEnergy Exchange of Southern Africa79.7%Energy Exchange of Southern AfricaAir Products50%Air ProductsTotalEnergies24.9%National Petroleum Refiners of South Africa Proprietary Limited (Natref)TotalEnergies LubrifiantsSELF LubricantsWispeco100%Wispeco AluminiumPGSI37.7%PG Group HoldingsPGSIKagiso Tiso Holdings43.5%Kagiso MediaServest GroupMe Cure HealthcareMomentum MetropolitanLupo BakeryJacaranda FMEast Coast RadioUrban Brew StudiosJutaMediamarkFuture ManagersKaya FMGagasi FMOFMHeart FMNozala InvestmentsIncaFuturewisePrescient45%Prescient China Equity FundMilestone Capital III28.1%Milestone Capital IIIInvenfin100%Ad DynamoArcAquaBoltBOS BrandsDe Villiers ChocolateDC FoodsFieldbarJoya BrandsLifeQMoney FellowsNational HealthCare GroupRethink CBDRootSamarkandWyzetalkPembani Remgro Infrastructure Fund (PRIF)16.2%ETGRailco AfricaLumos GlobalSolar SaveriColoGas Pipeline PlatformZim BordersGridX AfricaMedallion DatacentersAsia Partners6.5%Shopbac kSCI EcommerceGudangAdaDoctor AnywhereCarsomeSnapaskRedDoorzeMedia Investments32.3%eTVOpenvieweNCAeVODYFMSasani StudiosMedia Film ServiceCPT Film StudiosFirstRand2.5%FNBRMBWesBankAldermoreMotoNovoAshburton InvestmentsDirectAxisMotoVantageFirstRand Corporate CentreDiscovery7.7%Discovery HealthDiscovery LifeDiscovery InsureDiscovery InvestDiscovery BankVitalityHealthVitaliftLifeVitalityCarVitality GlobalMomentum Metropolitan Holdings8.6%MomentumMetropolitanMomentum MultiplyGuardriskEris Property GroupHello DoctorBritish American Tobacco0.1%VusegloVELOGrizzlyDunhillKentLucky StrikePall MallRothmansCamelNatural American SpiritNewportBlue Bulls50 %Blue BullsStellenbosch Academy of Sports100%Stellenbosch Academy of SportsStellenbosch Football Club100%Stellenbosch Football Club
Richemont
Richemont’s portfolio is dominated by jewelers and luxury watchmakers, although some of its businesses also manufacture leather products, pens, weapons and luxury clothing.
CompanySubsidiaries/PortfolioRichemontBuccellatiCartierVan Cleef & ArpelsA. Lange & SöhneBaume & MercierIWC SchaffhausenJaeger-LeCoultrePaneraiPiagetRoger DubuisVacheron ConstantinWatchfinder & Co.NET-A-PORTERMr PorterThe OutnetYooxOnline Flagship StoresAlaïaAZ FactoryChloéDelvauxDunhillMontblancPeter MillarPurdeySerapianTimeVallée
Reinet
According to its 2022 annual report, Pension Insurance Company is Reinet’s largest investment, accounting for 47.5% of the company’s portfolio. British American Tobacco is second, with 31% of the market.
Trilantic Capital Partners, TruArc Partners, and United States real estate development and mortgages are among the other assets highlighted in the 2022 report.
