3 Billionaires

ABOUT

Join us for an engaging conversation as these 3 authors delve into the captivating world of 3 South African Billionaires, unravelling tales of wealth, power and intrigue.

Christo Wiese – Risk and riches

Christo Wiese has never shied away from a risky business deal. Since acquiring Pep Stores, he has built an impressive business empire which includes Shoprite and a number of other companies. He has tried his hand at politics and has bought diamond mines, banks and wine farms. Fifty years of risk-taking in the business world paid off and made him the richest man in the country – until he overplayed his hand with Steinhoff and lost a huge part of his fortune.

Whitey – The Rise and Rule of the Shoprite King

James Wellwood Basson, known as ‘Whitey’, is a South African business legend. Whitey quietly built his Shoprite group, acquiring Grand Bazaars and the struggling Checkers and is widely hailed as a business genius. In this authorised biography, access to the Bassons’ archives and interviews with Whitey and his inner circle, financial journalist Niel Joubert recreates Whitey’s story in rich detail: from his childhood on a Porterville farm to his mentorship at Pep Stores, achieving his lifelong target of eclipsing Pick n Pay, and conquering Africa.

Harry Oppenheimer – Diamonds, Gold and Dynasty

Harry Oppenheimer, the international gold-and-diamond magnate, presided over the corporate dynasty of Anglo American and De Beers for more than 25 years. Yet, two decades after his death, the Oppenheimer empire is no more. In the first, full-scale biography of Oppenheimer, based on unrestricted access to his subject’s private papers and extensive interviews with family members and close associates, Michael Cardo eschews both the corporate hype and the political propaganda to produce a vivid, fully-rounded portrait. He brings to life the places, people, events and relationships that shaped Harry Oppenheimer’s long and rich career at the intersection of business and politics.

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