One thing all Johann Rupert’s top executives in South Africa have in common

All but one of Remgro’s top executives studied at Stellenbosch University, the same alma mater as its founder, billionaire businessman Johann Rupert.

Rupert has close ties to Stellenbosch University, despite not having graduated from the institution when he went there for his undergraduate studies in the 1970s.

Rupert grew up in the town of Stellenbosch, attending Paul Roos Gymnasium, one of the country’s top schools.

He spent his undergraduate years at Stellenbosch University, studying economics and company law.

However, he never completed this degree, as he was impatient to start making a name for himself in the business world, following in his father, Anton Rupert’s, footsteps.

Anton is the man behind some of South Africa’s most iconic companies, having started the Rembrandt Group in the 1940s.

A cigarette and tobacco giant, Rembrandt would become one of South Africa’s biggest companies, and the foundation for what would become the modern-day Rupert empire.

After making a name for himself in the international business world, learning the ropes at companies like Chase Manhattan and Lazard Freres, Rupert returned to South Africa in 1979 and joined his father’s company.

In the 1990s and 2000s, Rupert restructured the Rembrandt group into three companies: Richemont, Reinet, and Remgro.

While Richemont and Reinet are based in Europe, Rupert maintained his South African roots through Remgro, which is based in Stellenbosch.

Today, these three companies are worth billions in their own right and provide the foundation for the Rupert family’s estimated $17.1 billion (R278.47 billion) net worth.

Though he did not complete his undergraduate degree, Rupert was awarded an honorary doctorate in economics from Stellenbosch University in 2005.

Further forging his close ties to the town and university, Rupert would also become Stellenbosch University’s 14th Chancellor in 2009.

This prestigious, non-executive role saw Rupert represent his alma mater at its highest level.

He would serve two terms in this role, spanning a decade, eventually stepping down in 2019 and handing over the reins to Justice Edwin Cameron.

Alma mater

Stellenbosch University is one of the country’s oldest higher education institutions, founded over a century ago in 1918.

When it was first established, the university boasted four faculties: Arts, Science, Education and Agriculture, 503 students, and 40 lecturing staff.

Today, the university is home to 10 faculties, more than 35,000 students and 3,500 staff members, spread over five campuses. 

The institution has more than 250,000 alumni and students, academics and lecturers, researchers and professional and administrative support staff.

It is also considered one of the best universities in South Africa and the world, consistently ranking among the top universities globally.

Stellenbosch University also boasts notable alumni, including many of South Africa’s top businessmen, such as Naspers’s Koos Bekker, Shoprite’s Christo Wiese, and PSG’s Jannie Mouton. Notably, four of South Africa’s seven dollar billionaires attended the university.

Almost every former Prime Minister of South Africa also had ties to Stellenbosch University, including Jan Smuts, D.F. Malan, and J.B.M. Hertzog.

Rupert’s close ties to his impressive alma mater can clearly be seen when looking at the top executives of his South African-based company, Remgro.

The investment giant has had two chief executive officers in its history, Thys Visser and Jannie Durand, both of whom studied at Stellenbosch University.

Remgro’s current chief compliance and operations officer, Mariza Lubbe, and its chief investment officer, Carel Vosloo, also studied at the historic university.

During his tenure as Stellenbosch University Chancellor, Rupert delivered a speech for the graduating class of 2014, wherein he discussed the importance of education in South Africa.

“One of the biggest problems in South Africa is education. I cannot create employment for people who are structurally unemployable,” he said.

“I would suggest we do two things. We’ve got to have some kind of a standstill while at the same time fixing our educational system.”

“The university is already doing a lot, but the problem is that good teachers don’t go to bad areas. We need radical solutions, truly radical solutions, because it’s a crisis.”

“If you drive through the Karoo and the Free State and the Eastern Cape, you see hundreds and hundreds of people, who should either be at school or at work, sitting on pavements.”

“Then you realise we have a problem, and we have to prioritise. And it’s up to you, who have graduated here, to also make a difference.”

Remgro executive directors	University	Degree
Chief Executive Officer Jannie Durand	Stellenbosch University	BAcc (Hons)
Chief Financial Officer Neville Williams	Unknown	BComm (Hons)
Chief Compliance and Operations Officer Mariza Lubbe	Stellenbosch University	BA
Chief Investment Officer Carel Vosloo	Stellenbosch University	BAcc (Hons)