The man behind Cape Town hotel voted one of the best in the world
Paul Harris is the man behind some of South Africa’s most successful businesses and the founder of Ellerman House, one of the best hotels in the world.
Harris is widely considered one of South Africa’s great entrepreneurs. He is renowned for his ability to bring fresh and innovative ideas to everything he does.
He is one of the founders of FirstRand, South Africa’s most valuable banking group, and the innovative mobile operator Rain.
Harris grew up on a farm in Greytown, KwaZulu-Natal, but left home at the age of eight to attend Pietermaritzburg’s Maritzburg College.
He completed his tertiary studies at Stellenbosch University, where he initially pursued sports with a bursary for cricket and rugby. He later studied commerce and earned a Master’s degree.
Harris’s business success goes back far before FirstRand was founded. Although Harris could be considered the father of FirstRand, he wasn’t part of the team from the beginning.
In 1997, three South Africans, Laurie Dippenaar, Gerrit “GT” Ferreira, and Pat Goss, left their banking jobs to set up FirstRand’s predecessor, Rand Consolidated Investments. They reportedly started the business with $10,000 and a secretary.
Harris had worked with Dippenaar at the Industrial Development Corporation in the past and was called upon when Goss left the company.
“Everything we really did was start-up, and then we acquired some companies,” Harris told Forbes Africa.
“It was always a new way of doing things. It was always a new approach. We grew from being a very small group of guys to become huge.”
After Harris joined in 1983, billionaire Johann Rupert, who had joined and built upon his father’s business empire, suggested that Rand Consolidated Investments merge with his company, Rand Merchant Bank (RMB).
This introduced a monumental shift in Rand Consolidated Investments’ business, as it gave the company access to a banking license.
Rupert allowed the three friends to run the bank, setting the stage for what would become one of South Africa’s biggest companies.
In 1992, Harris became the company’s CEO, and in the same year, they acquired Momentum Life, which would later form Discovery Health.
Seven years later, Harris was appointed chief executive of FirstRand Bank Holdings. The company added First National Bank (FNB), previously owned by Anglo American, to its portfolio.
This merger between the financial services interests of Anglo American and RMB Holdings gave birth to FirstRand, which now included Momentum Life, FNB, and Southern Life Association.
Forbes Africa reported that RMB had to raise $370 million, around R5 billion back then, in new capital to seal the Southern Life deal, which Harris and his team achieved in just two days.
Harris held this position until December 2005, when he was appointed CEO of FirstRand.
He has been credited with playing a major role in bringing the South African banking industry into the digital age, convincing millions of users to bank through their phones rather than bank tellers.
Despite his impressive achievements at FirstRand, Harris’ legacy and business interests extend well beyond this company.
While at RMB, he oversaw the development of several private game reserves, including Ingwelala, Mabula, Welgevonden, and Thorny Bush.
He was a founder shareholder of the safari company Great Plains, with lodges in Botswana, Kenya, and Zimbabwe.
He served on the board of Cricket South Africa and is on the board of the Sunshine Tour, the most prominent golf tour in Africa.
He is also the largest shareholder in Rain, one of South Africa’s largest broadband and 5G providers.
However, one of his most overlooked achievements is the award-winning luxury boutique hotel Ellerman House in Cape Town.
Ellerman House
The original Ellerman house, built in 1906, was a haven for generations of seafarers and travellers before Harris acquired it in 1988. Africa Travel reported that he renovated and extended the house.
The house added a modern villa in 2004 and another in 2013, and the same year, it incorporated The Ellerman House Wine Gallery.
Ellerman House is based in Cape Town and overlooks the Atlantic Ocean from the foot of Lion’s Head.
The house describes itself as a “charming boutique hotel” that allows guests to experience the beauty, bounty, and diversity of South Africa.
“With only 13 bedrooms and two private villas, we excel at offering our guests a world-class level of service that is intuitive and understated.”
“Ultra-luxurious facilities, incredible views and an atmosphere of refined comfort attract the most discerning travellers and keep them coming back, year after year.”
“It is the feeling of home, of being enveloped in the beauty and warmth of a place that is at once exotic and familiar.”
These claims have been backed up by the numerous awards Ellerman House has added to its belt over the past few years.
It has been included in the highly revered Condé Nast Traveler Gold List, highlighting a handpicked selection of the best hotels, resorts, restaurants, and cruises worldwide in 2019, 2020, and 2024.
It has also won Condé Nast’s Traveler Reader’s Choice Awards, which celebrate the experiences of more than 500,000 luxury travellers.
Travel + Leisure included the house in its ‘World’s Best Awards’ in 2024, declaring it the Best City Hotel in Africa.
The so-called ‘Oscars’ of the global travel industry, the World Travel Awards, awarded Ellerman House the Africa’s Leading Luxury Hotel Villa title in 2020 and 2023.
“At our luxury boutique hotel in the heart of Camps Bay, Cape Town, we pride ourselves on offering unparalleled service and exceptional experiences to our esteemed guests,” Ellerman House explains on its website.
“Our accolades reflect our commitment to providing a truly extraordinary stay.”
Some of the experiences guests at Ellerman House can expect include an expert concierge service, one of the country’s most significant private wine collections, an extensive private art collection, a spa, lush gardens, and its bar, BAR ROC, which overlooks the Atlantic Ocean.
Inside Ellerman House
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