Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa December/ January 2018/2019 | Page 9

JOHANN RUPERT
Leading the way on Land
and Property Reform
South Africa talks land reform while billionaire
Johann Rupert is actually doing something about it
JOHANN RUPERT FACTS
Current position: Chairman, Richemont & Remgro
Age: 68 years old
Almer mater: Stellenbosch University
Family: Married to Gaynor (3 Children)
J
ohann Rupert is South Africa’s second wealthiest individ-
ual with a net worth estimated at around $5,3 billion as of
June 2018 according to Bloomberg. He is a South African
born entrepreneur who is the eldest son of business tycoon
Anton Rupert who made billions after he founded Rembrandt
in the tobacco industry. Rembrandt was later split into two
companies, Richemont (Swiss based) and Remgro (South Af-
rican based) which he currently is the Chairman. Richemont
own and market prestige luxury brands such as Cartier, Van
Cleef & Arpels, Mont Blanc and Alfred Dunhill. Remgro’s
portfolio includes Mediclinic, Rand Merchant Bank Hold-
ings, First Rand and Distell.
Rupert’s business career and CV reads like a seasoned
business professional, entrepreneur and philanthropist. He
first served his business apprenticeship in  New York City,
where he worked for  Chase Manhattan  Bank for two years
and for  Lazard Freres  for three years. He then returned to
South Africa in 1979 and founded Rand Merchant Bank of
which he was CEO.
He is more renowned for building multi-million
international businesses in banking and luxury goods than
investing in real estate. Although he does own residential
and commercial real estate both in his personal capacity and
businesses his focus and successes are in the business sector.
Recently though he has been involved in great philanthropic
deeds sponsoring property titles for those who cannot afford
them with his wife Gaynor.
Rupert grew up in  Stellenbosch, where he attended  Paul
Roos Gymnasium  and the  University of Stellenbosch,
studying economics and company law. He dropped out of the
university to pursue a career in business, however, in 2004, the
university awarded him an honorary doctorate in Economics.
In 2008, Rupert was awarded an honorary  doctorate in
Commerce  from  Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.
Described as “reclusive” by the Financial Times and Barron’s
as he does not favour media interviews. In 2006 the same
newspaper also called him “Rupert the Bear” for predicting a
world economic crisis.
Economic future
At a recent shareholders meeting of Remgro he called a similar
tune where he expressed concern over the current world
economic outlook. He predicts that the United States will
be in recession in 2020 mainly caused by President Donald
Trump’s focus on trade wars, fascism and populist approach.
This statement is supported by Ray Dalio US billionaire
hedge fund owner. Rupert says there are very similar signals
and events build-up to the great depression. He believes
this presents both problems but also presents major business
opportunities. A wait and see approach might be the best
policy as potential business acquisitions are still overpriced.
In 2016, he was unfairly targeted through a number of
smear campaigns and fake scandals created against him when
he asked former President Jacob Zuma to resign two years ago.
This caused a huge backlash from his critics.
Rupert rarely gives interviews and shuns public events.
More recently he accepted an interview with the annual
Chairman’s Conversation hosted by PowerFM with Given
Mkhari Rupert which drew negative responses from the
SA Real Estate Investor Magazine DECEMBER 2018/JANUARY 2019
7