It’s a question that comes up time and again – do you need a higher education to become wealthy?
The playground of the rich and famous is littered with people who have no tertiary education including Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, more recently, Mark Zuckerberg, and the world’s current richest man, Bill Gates.
In Fact, according to Approved Index as many as 32% of the top 100 billionaires in the world did not complete tertiary education.
Of those who attended university, 22% studied engineering and 12% studied business, while 19% of the top 100 billionaires made their fortune through tech.
Forbes has published its annual billionaire’s list, listing the world’s wealthiest individuals – including seven South Africans.
BusinessTech looked at the qualifications, if any, of South Africa’s billionaires.
| Billionaire | University |
Degree |
| Johann Rupert | University of Stellenbosch | Dropped out |
| Nicky Oppenheimer | Christ Church, Oxford | Oxford MA |
| Christo Wiese | Stellenbosch University | Bachelor of Arts LLB |
| Koos Bekker | Stellenbosch University and University of the Witwatersrand | Law & Literature |
| Patrice Motsepe | University of Swaziland and University of the Witwatersrand | Bachelor of Law Bachelor of Arts |
| Stephen Saad | University of Natal | Bachelor of Commerce |
| Allan Gray | Harvard | MBA |
South African luxury goods tycoon, Johann Rupert remains the country’s richest man with a net worth exceeding $7.4 billion (R89 billion).
The chairman of Compagnie Financiere Richemont dropped out of the University of Stellenbosch to pursue a career in business. In 2004, the university awarded him an honorary doctorate in Economics.
In 2008, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in Commerce from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
He was also awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws by The university of St. Andrews, Scotland.