Latest news with #JohanRupert
Mail & Guardian
04-07-2025
- Business
- Mail & Guardian
From local roots to global reach – Promoting South African talent making waves overseas
South Africa, a nation known for its vibrant spirit and entrepreneurial drive, has increasingly become a launchpad for individuals and businesses making significant inroads on the global stage. Despite facing unique domestic challenges, more South Africans are breaking through geographical barriers, showing resilience, innovation, and strategic foresight as they expand their ventures internationally. Mzansi Unicorns aims to be the platform that tells these stories. We want to take South Africa to the world — and bring the world to South Africa. There are countless South Africans, living locally and abroad, who've not only built wealth but made real impact. Elon Musk is currently the richest man in the world. Johan Rupert owns the third-largest luxury company globally. Divesh Makan is co-founder of Iconiq Capital, managing over $100 billion for clients like Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), Jack Dorsey (Twitter), and Satya Nadella (Microsoft). In 1967, Dr. Christiaan Barnard performed the world's first human-to-human heart transplant. Nelson Mandela is arguably one of the most influential leaders in modern history, known for his commitment to peace and reconciliation and for leading South Africa out of one of the world's longest-standing systems of institutionalised apartheid. Innovation and creativity often grow from circumstance. South Africa remains the most industrialised country in Africa but is still considered developing by global standards. The country's crime problems, like hijackings, led to innovations like CarTrack — now the largest tracking company in the world, founded by Zak Calisto, who recently joined the billionaire club. We also boast global icons in arts and culture — Trevor Noah (former host of The Daily Show ), DJ Black Coffee (one of the world's highest-paid DJs), Tyla (Grammy winner), and Charlize Theron (Oscar and Golden Globe winner). Even our music — Amapiano — has gone global, with tracks featured in viral TikTok dance challenges. The rise of Mzansi Unicorns reflects the sharp business instincts and adaptability of South African entrepreneurs. Navigating a tough local economic environment has shaped leaders who spot niche opportunities and execute with precision. These are skills that translate well globally, especially when combined with a bold, strategic mindset. In South Africa, we say, ''n Boer maak 'n plan' — meaning 'a farmer makes a plan.' It reflects our broader culture of resilience, creativity, and finding a way, no matter what. We don't just play the hand we're dealt — we often bring a new deck. Beyond traditional industries, South Africans are also leading in innovation abroad. Elon Musk is the most prominent, but others like Vinny Lingham (Gyft, Yola) in tech and Roelof Botha (Sequoia Capital) in venture capital, show the reach and impact of South African talent. These success stories aren't just about individual achievement — they're proof of our country's entrepreneurial spirit and growing global footprint. As South Africa continues to back innovation and develop its diverse business ecosystem, we'll see even more local businesses become international forces. There are Mzansi Unicorns everywhere — from the Cape Flats to Soweto, Kimberley to Durban. We look forward to featuring them on our show so they can share their journeys and inspire South Africa, and the world.
RNZ News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
South Africans praise calm President Cyril Ramaphosa after White House ambush
By Larry Madowo, CNN South African president Cyril Ramaphosa is sworn in as a Member of Parliament. Photo: AP Photo/Jerome Delay Many South Africans are praising President Cyril Ramaphosa's calm demeanor, as President Donald Trump's multimedia ambush unfolded in front of the world's press . He pushed back gently whenever he could, but he didn't raise his voice or show anger, displaying his decades of negotiation experience. "What else could Cyril have done?" asked veteran journalist Milton Nkosi. "You're damned if you do, damned if you don't. "I think they were caught completely unawares. How on earth could you have planned for that?" said Nkosi, who's a senior research fellow at the Africa Asia Dialogues think tank. On social media and across South Africa's broadcast outlets, consensus seemed to quickly form that Ramaphosa did the best under the circumstances. He remained "calm, collected and humble in the face of bigotry and lies," posted one user on X. "You were a leader today. Went to build, not to fight." Ramaphosa brought his own White billionaire to the meeting - luxury goods magnate Johan Rupert, who's behind brands like Cartier - who told Trump that violent crime affects all races, but his words fell on deaf ears. Rupert even threw tech billionaire Elon Musk, who was also in the room, a bone. "We have too many deaths, but it's across the board," Rupert said. "It's not only White farmers, it's across the board. "We need technological help. We need Starlink at every little police station. "We need drones." One White South African called Rupert a traitor to his fellow Afrikaners in a social media post. Another prominent White South African - agriculture minister John Steenhuisen - also tried to convince their Oval Office host that he had been misled. The most dramatic part of the scene was when Trump called for lights to be dimmed and screened a four-and-a-half minute montage claiming to show evidence of a White genocide. It included far-left opposition leader Julius Malema singing "Kill the Boer, kill the farmer", as a crowd chanted along. Officially named 'Dubula iBhunu' in the Xhosa language, the song emerged in the 1980s to fight the unjust system of segregation. South African courts have ruled that it doesn't mean a literal call to kill White farmers. Donald Trump confronts Cyril Ramaphosa over alleged "White genocide" in South Africa. Photo: AFP The Supreme Court of Appeal ruled in 2024 that any "reasonably well-informed person" would see it as a "historic struggle song, with the performance gestures that go with it, as a provocative means of advancing his party's political agenda". Trump confronted Ramaphosa on why he had not arrested Malema for it. Malema, leader of the the Economic Freedom Fighters party, responded in his typical fiery way on X. "A group of older men meet in Washington to gossip about me," he said, disputing the claims of a genocide. "We will not agree to compromise our political principles on land expropriation without compensation for political expediency." Malema was expelled from Ramaphosa's African National Congress (ANC) party more than a decade ago and came third in the most recent election. Most of the information that Trump used to try to prove that "White genocide" is happening in South Africa has repeatedly been disproven. Some South Africans have said they believe that the information is "AfriForum propaganda" - referring to a White Afrikaner lobby group criticised as being a White nationalist group. Its chief executive told CNN the group was pleased with how the meeting went. "It shows that the South African president and the ANC leadership cannot just simply sweep real problems that we have in the country under the carpet and think they will disappear," Kallie Kriel said. CNN has looked at data from the South African police and has found no evidence of a "White genocide". A video played by Trump purported to show thousands of White farmers buried along the side of the road, but Ramaphosa said that he did not recognise the video and that there was no evidence it showed what Trump claimed it displayed. It was the toughest public test yet for Ramaphosa, a skilled dealmaker, who led negotiations for Nelson Mandela in talks that ended apartheid. "It is absolutely absurd to sit and watch the president of the most powerful country in the world telling the man who negotiated to end apartheid, who was locked up in solitary confinement, that there's White genocide in South Africa, which is a lie," Nkosi told CNN. "That is crazy," South Africa's White nationalists had a good day. The United States president repeated their talking points from the bully pulpit of the White House, giving them the highest-profile validation they could have ever dreamed of. The South African delegation expected a confrontational meeting, but nothing could have prepared them for the ambush that awaited them. - CNN
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘What else could Cyril have done?' South Africans praise calm Ramaphosa after White House ambush
Many South Africans are praising President Cyril Ramaphosa's calm demeanor as President Donald Trump's multimedia ambush unfolded in front of the world's press. He pushed back gently whenever he could, but he didn't raise his voice or show anger, displaying his decades of negotiation experience. 'What else could Cyril have done?' asked veteran journalist Milton Nkosi. 'You're damned if you do, damned if you don't. I think they were caught completely unawares. How on earth could you have planned for that?' said Nkosi, who's a senior research fellow at the Africa Asia Dialogues think tank. On social media and across South Africa's broadcast outlets, consensus seemed to quickly form that Ramaphosa did the best under the circumstances. He remained 'calm, collected and humble in the face of bigotry and lies,' posted one user on X. 'You were a leader today. Went to build not to fight.' Ramaphosa brought his own White billionaire to the meeting – luxury goods magnate Johan Rupert, who's behind brands like Cartier – who told Trump that violent crime affects all races, but his words fell on deaf ears. Rupert even threw tech billionaire Elon Musk, who was also in the room, a bone. 'We have too many deaths. But it's across the board,' Rupert said. 'It's not only White farmers. It's across the board. We need technological help. We need Starlink at every little police station. We need drones.' One White South African called Rupert a traitor to his fellow Afrikaners in a social media post. Another prominent White South African, agriculture minister John Steenhuisen, also tried to convince their Oval Office host that he had been misled. The most dramatic part of the scene was when Trump called for lights to be dimmed and screened a four-and-a-half minute montage claiming to show evidence of a White genocide. It included far-left opposition leader Julius Malema singing 'Kill the Boer, kill the farmer' as a crowd chanted along. Officially named 'Dubula iBhunu' in the Xhosa language, the song emerged in the 1980s to fight the unjust system of segregation. South African courts have ruled that it doesn't mean a literal call to kill White farmers. The Supreme Court of Appeal ruled in 2024 that any 'reasonably well-informed person' would see it as a 'historic struggle song, with the performance gestures that go with it, as a provocative means of advancing his party's political agenda.' Trump confronted Ramaphosa on why he had not arrested Malema for it. Malema, leader of the the Economic Freedom Fighters party, responded in his typical fiery way on X: 'A group of older men meet in Washington to gossip about me,' he said, disputing the claims of a genocide. 'We will not agree to compromise our political principles on land expropriation without compensation for political expediency.' Malema was expelled from Ramaphosa's African National Congress (ANC) party more than a decade ago and came third in the most recent election. Most of the information that Trump used to try to prove that 'White genocide' is happening in South Africa has repeatedly been disproven. Some South Africans have said that they believe that the information is 'AfriForum propaganda' – referring to a White Afrikaner lobby group criticized as being a White nationalist group. Its chief executive told CNN the group was pleased with how the meeting went. 'It shows that the South African president and the ANC leadership cannot just simply sweep real problems that we have in the country under the carpet and think they will disappear,' Kallie Kriel said in a voice note. CNN has looked at data from the South African police and has found no evidence of a 'White genocide.' A video played by Trump purported to show thousands of White farmers buried along the side of the road – but Ramaphosa said that he did not recognize the video, and that there was no evidence it showed what Trump claimed it displayed. It was the toughest public test yet for Ramaphosa, a skilled dealmaker who led negotiations for Nelson Mandela in talks that ended apartheid. 'It is absolutely absurd to sit and watch the president of the most powerful country in the world telling the man who negotiated to end apartheid, who was locked up in solitary confinement, that there's White genocide in South Africa, which is a lie. That is crazy,' Nkosi told CNN. It was a good day for South Africa's White nationalists. The president of the United States repeated their talking points from the bully pulpit of the White House, giving them the highest-profile validation they could have ever dreamed of. The South African delegation expected a confrontational meeting, but nothing could have prepared them for the ambush that awaited them.
CNN
22-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
‘What else could Cyril have done?' South Africans praise calm Ramaphosa after White House ambush
Many South Africans are praising President Cyril Ramaphosa's calm demeanor as President Donald Trump's multimedia ambush unfolded in front of the world's media. He pushed back gently whenever he could, but he didn't raise his voice or show anger, displaying his decades of negotiation experience. 'What else could Cyril have done?' asked veteran journalist Milton Nkosi. 'You're damned if you do, damned if you don't. I think they were caught completely unawares. How on earth could you have planned for that?' Nkosi, who's a senior research fellow at the Africa Asia Dialogues think tank told CNN. On social media and across South Africa's broadcast outlets, consensus seemed to quickly form that Ramaphosa did the best under the circumstances. He remained 'calm, collected and humble in the face of bigotry and lies,' posted one user on X. 'You were a leader today. Went to build not to fight.' Ramaphosa brought his own white billionaire to the meeting – luxury goods magnate Johan Rupert who's behind brands like Cartier – who told Trump that violent crime affects all races, but his words fell on deaf ears. Rupert even threw Elon Musk, who was also in the room, a bone. 'We have too many deaths. But it's across the board. It's not only White farmers. It's across the board. We need technological help. We need Starlink at every little police station. We need drones.' One white South African called Rupert a traitor to his fellow Afrikaners. Another prominent white South African, the Agriculture minister John Steenhuisen himself also tried to convince their host that he had been misled. The most dramatic part of the scene was when Trump called for lights to be dimmed and screened a four-and-a-half minute montage claiming to show evidence of a white genocide. It included far-left opposition leader Julius Malema singing 'Kill the Boer, kill the farmer' as a crowd chanted along. Officially named 'Dubula iBhunu' in the Xhosa language, the song emerged in the 1980s to fight the unjust system of segregation. South African courts have ruled that it doesn't mean a literal call to kill white farmers. The Supreme Court of Appeal ruled in 2024 that any 'reasonably well-informed person' would see it as a 'historic struggle song, with the performance gestures that go with it, as a provocative means of advancing his party's political agenda.' President Trump confronted Ramaphosa on why he had not arrested Malema for it. Malema, the Economic Freedom Fighters leader, responded in his typical fiery way on X: 'A group of older men meet in Washington to gossip about me,' he said, disputing the claims of a genocide. 'We will not agree to compromise our political principles on land expropriation without compensation for political expediency.' Malema was expelled from Ramaphosa's African National Congress (ANC) party more than a decade ago and came third in the most recent election. Most of the information that US President Donald Trump used to try to prove that 'White genocide' is happening in South Africa has repeatedly been disproven. Some South Africans have said that they believe that the information is 'AfriForum propaganda' – a White Afrikaner lobby group criticized as being a White nationalist group. Its CEO told CNN they were pleased with how the meeting went. 'It shows that the South African president and the ANC leadership cannot just simply sweep real problems that we have in the country under the carpet and think they will disappear,' Kallie Kriel said in a voice note. CNN has looked at data from the South African police and has found no evidence of a 'White genocide.' A video played by Trump purported to show thousands of White farmers buried along the side of the road – but Ramaphosa said that he did not recognize the video, and that there was no evidence it showed what Trump claimed it displayed. It was the toughest public test yet for Ramaphosa, a skilled dealmaker who led negotiations for Nelson Mandela in talks that ended apartheid. 'It is absolutely absurd to sit and watch the president of the most powerful country in the world telling the man who negotiated to end apartheid, who was locked up solitary confinement, that there's White genocide in South Africa which is a lie. That is crazy,' Nkosi told CNN. It was a good day for South Africa's White nationalists. The president of the United States repeated their talking points from the bully pulpit of the White House, giving them the most high-profile validation they could have ever dreamed of. The South African delegation expected a confrontational meeting, but nothing could have prepared them for the multimedia ambush that awaited them.
CNN
22-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
What else could Cyril have done?' South Africans praise calm Ramaphosa after White House ambush
Many South Africans are praising President Cyril Ramaphosa's calm demeanor as President Donald Trump's multimedia ambush unfolded in front of the world's media. He pushed back gently whenever he could, but he didn't raise his voice or show anger, displaying his decades of negotiation experience. 'What else could Cyril have done?' asked veteran journalist Milton Nkosi. 'You're damned if you do, damned if you don't. I think they were caught completely unawares. How on earth could you have planned for that?' Nkosi, who's a senior research fellow at the Africa Asia Dialogues think tank told CNN. On social media and across South Africa's broadcast outlets, consensus seemed to quickly form that Ramaphosa did the best under the circumstances. He remained 'calm, collected and humble in the face of bigotry and lies,' posted one user on X. 'You were a leader today. Went to build not to fight.' Ramaphosa brought his own white billionaire to the meeting – luxury goods magnate Johan Rupert who's behind brands like Cartier – who told Trump that violent crime affects all races, but his words fell on deaf ears. Rupert even threw Elon Musk, who was also in the room, a bone. 'We have too many deaths. But it's across the board. It's not only White farmers. It's across the board. We need technological help. We need Starlink at every little police station. We need drones.' One white South African called Rupert a traitor to his fellow Afrikaners. Another prominent white South African, the Agriculture minister John Steenhuisen himself also tried to convince their host that he had been misled. The most dramatic part of the scene was when Trump called for lights to be dimmed and screened a four-and-a-half minute montage claiming to show evidence of a white genocide. It included far-left opposition leader Julius Malema singing 'Kill the Boer, kill the farmer' as a crowd chanted along. Officially named 'Dubula iBhunu' in the Xhosa language, the song emerged in the 1980s to fight the unjust system of segregation. South African courts have ruled that it doesn't mean a literal call to kill white farmers. The Supreme Court of Appeal ruled in 2024 that any 'reasonably well-informed person' would see it as a 'historic struggle song, with the performance gestures that go with it, as a provocative means of advancing his party's political agenda.' President Trump confronted Ramaphosa on why he had not arrested Malema for it. Malema, the Economic Freedom Fighters leader, responded in his typical fiery way on X: 'A group of older men meet in Washington to gossip about me,' he said, disputing the claims of a genocide. 'We will not agree to compromise our political principles on land expropriation without compensation for political expediency.' Malema was expelled from Ramaphosa's African National Congress (ANC) party more than a decade ago and came third in the most recent election. Most of the information that US President Donald Trump used to try to prove that 'White genocide' is happening in South Africa has repeatedly been disproven. Some South Africans have said that they believe that the information is 'AfriForum propaganda' – a White Afrikaner lobby group criticized as being a White nationalist group. Its CEO told CNN they were pleased with how the meeting went. 'It shows that the South African president and the ANC leadership cannot just simply sweep real problems that we have in the country under the carpet and think they will disappear,' Kallie Kriel said in a voice note. CNN has looked at data from the South African police and has found no evidence of a 'White genocide.' A video played by Trump purported to show thousands of White farmers buried along the side of the road – but Ramaphosa said that he did not recognize the video, and that there was no evidence it showed what Trump claimed it displayed. It was the toughest public test yet for Ramaphosa, a skilled dealmaker who led negotiations for Nelson Mandela in talks that ended apartheid. 'It is absolutely absurd to sit and watch the president of the most powerful country in the world telling the man who negotiated to end apartheid, who was locked up solitary confinement, that there's White genocide in South Africa which is a lie. That is crazy,' Nkosi told CNN. It was a good day for South Africa's White nationalists. The president of the United States repeated their talking points from the bully pulpit of the White House, giving them the most high-profile validation they could have ever dreamed of. The South African delegation expected a confrontational meeting, but nothing could have prepared them for the multimedia ambush that awaited them.
