If that’s a strange question, it’s one that many, many people are desperate to know. Not a day goes by without several people asking that question and being directed to CapeInfo… which didn’t have the answer.
So we thought we should at least try to find out.
Media24 reports that Limpopo premier, Cassel Mathale, might be the richest premier in South Africa, with more than 20 directorships, a 1,700ha farm and a health spa. And his day job!
Mathale told City Press that he started registering companies in 1997 and has business interests in the property market. “Our company is very big, it is growing and we wish it could be the biggest property company in South Africa. I can do business with government because I have the right to do that,” he said.
In April last year, Mathale declared five properties: a farm and health spa in Letsitele; two houses in Polokwane and a house in Nkowankowa. He also declared an interest in 16 trading entities.
Wealthy politicians are nothing new in Limpopo, or the old Transvaal which it formed part of. Former minister of (at various times) agriculture and transport, the late Hendrik Schoeman, was regarded as one of the biggest and most successful farmers in SA and was based near Groblersdal and Marble Hall in Limpopo. Maybe his son inherited the title… or maybe it’s one of the wealthy farmers in the Tzaneen area.
Limpopo’s mines are largely owned by the Anglo’s and Rio Tinto’s of the world, but there are some new- and some not-so-newcomers. One of these is Tim Tebeila, executive chairman of Sekoko Resources. His group entered mainstream economic activity when it emerged as a major shareholder in the newly listed coal mining operation Firestone Energy SA, an extension of Australian coal mining giant Firestone Energy.
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And then of course there’s Julius Malema… maybe that’s the reason behind this being such a popular question. He’s certainly risen from ‘rags’ to riches in a few short years and, if reports are accurate, plays an inordinately important role in awarding and sharing in contracts.
If you have the answer and know who the richest man (or woman) is, please let us know so we can share it with everyone.
