Billionaire Christo Wiese’s advice for people who want to leave South Africa

Billionaire Christo Wiese told every South African who thinks of leaving the country to first compare it to life elsewhere. 

Ideally, Wiese said, these South Africans should talk to foreigners about life in another country and the challenges they face. 

In most cases, South Africa will end up looking like a good place to live, considering the challenges elsewhere and the optimism of the local population. 

Wiese told the audience at the 9th BizNews Conference in the Drakensberg that South Africa is generally a happy country and is optimistic about the future. 

Born in Upington in 1941, Wiese is one of South Africa’s most successful businessmen and is considered retail royalty. 

He played a major role in building Shoprite into Africa’s largest retailer as its chairman for over a decade and in making Pepkor a multi-billion-rand business. 

The billionaire and his family all still live in the country. Wiese said he has encouraged his children and grandchildren to build their lives in South Africa. 

This is not based on naive optimism, but is largely due to the privilege Wiese has had in travelling the world and engaging with foreigners who have lived outside of South Africa. 

“There is a privilege of having a global view and engaging with people who have lived elsewhere and really know what is happening,” Wiese said. 

“You suddenly become aware of how many problems there are in the rest of the world and how people are grappling with them.” 

“It is wonderful to learn the lesson that South Africa is not the only country with problems and that it can grapple with these challenges.” 

Wiese’s optimism in South Africa and Africa broadly has served him well, enabling him to capitalise on opportunities in growing Shoprite and Pepkor into the businesses they are today. 

These opportunities would have been missed had he been caught up in the pessimism surrounding South Africa in the 1990s when Shoprite’s growth kicked off. 

Wiese said this air of pessimism is resulting in missed opportunities today, with South Africa still offering so much to its people. 

“There are so many opportunities in South Africa, and I am amazed that so many people do not see it. The air of pessimism seems to make people miss out,” he said. 

“One of the things I will say to young South Africans is that this is where the opportunities are.” 

“South Africa and Africa are where the opportunities are, with all their problems and challenges. That is what makes it fun.” 

Wiese said that despite its challenges and the government’s mismanagement, South Africa is not like the other failed African states. 

“When you compare yourself to the rest of the world, I don’t see many happy pictures in too many places,” he said.

“I believe most of the people in South Africa are good people. There are other countries where you cannot say that of people.”