At a Glance
- Women now lead South Africa’s most influential family-owned companies across core economic sectors.
- Their leadership blends inherited stewardship with reform, governance discipline, and strategic expansion.
- These businesses employ thousands, drive exports, and anchor South Africa’s domestic supply chains.
South Africa’s family-owned business landscape spans retail, mining, finance, agriculture, and healthcare sectors that anchor the country’s economy and employ tens of thousands.
Increasingly, women are not only inheriting these enterprises but leading them through periods of expansion, reform, and generational transition.
From vineyards and stud farms to mining operations, pharmacy chains, and financial services firms, a growing group of South African women now sit at the helm of some of the country’s most influential family-linked businesses.
In industries historically dominated by men, such as mining, financial services, and large-scale retail, their presence also signals a quiet but structural shift in power.
Beyond balance sheets, many of these business leaders are deeply engaged in philanthropy, education, healthcare, and social investment, reinforcing the role of family capital in nation-building. Their stories are not defined by spectacle, but by consistency, resilience, and scale.
Shore Africa has profiled seven South African women whose leadership continues to shape family-linked business empires with lasting economic and social impact.
1. Mary Slack
Wilgerbosdrift Stud Farm
Mary Slack controls significant family investments linked to the Oppenheimer fortune, including Wilgerbosdrift Stud Farm in the Western Cape. Through her family office, MODO, she oversees more than $3 billion in assets spanning equities, private investments, agriculture, healthcare, and real estate. South Africa’s wealthiest woman is the granddaughter of diamond mogul Sir Ernest Oppenheimer. She inherited her fortune from her father, Harry Oppenheimer, sharing a 50-50 stake with her brother, Nicky Oppenheimer. A passionate equestrian and philanthropist, Slack owns the Wilgerbosdrift stud farm and supports thoroughbred breeding. She actively contributes to the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust and has backed numerous cultural and educational initiatives, including Business and Arts South Africa. In 2023, she donated R1 billion ($57M) to South Africa’s Solidarity Fund. Her family office, MODO, manages over $3 billion in assets across government bonds, stock markets, and private equity. Slack’s key investments include MAS P.L.C., Auria Senior Living, Kensington Distillers, Promasidor, and SIAT. She also holds stakes in companies spanning real estate, agriculture, and healthcare across Africa and beyond.
2. Wendy Appelbaum
DeMorgenzon Wine Estate
Wendy Appelbaum is the owner and chairperson of DeMorgenzon Wine Estate. Located in Stellenbosch, South Africa, DeMorgenzon is a renowned wine and agricultural business that she purchased with her husband in 2003. Wendy Appelbaum, daughter of the late tycoon Donald Gordon, is a leading South African businesswoman and philanthropist with a net worth of $200 million in 2015. She chairs DeMorgenzon Wine Estate in Stellenbosch, renowned for its award-winning wines. A former director at Liberty Group, she serves on numerous boards, including the Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre and The Donald Gordon Foundation, Africa’s largest private charitable foundation. Through The Wendy Appelbaum Foundation, she funds initiatives in health and education, particularly for women. She has donated over $23 million to social causes and is actively involved in Harvard’s Women’s Leadership Board. Previously, she was Deputy-Chairman of Wiphold Limited, the first women-controlled company to list on the JSE. Her accolades include Forbes Africa Woman of the Year (2015) and the International Women’s Forum South Africa Excellence Award (2012), cementing her status as one of Africa’s most influential women in business and philanthropy.
3. Wendy Ackerman
Pick ‘n Pay
Wendy Ackerman is one of the founders and a key figure in the South African retail giant Pick ‘n Pay. She joined her husband, Raymond Ackerman, in building the company after he acquired it in 1967. Wendy Ackerman, co-founder of Pick ‘n Pay, is a pioneering businesswoman and philanthropist. Alongside her late husband, Raymond Ackerman, she helped transform the company from four Cape Town stores in 1967 into one of Africa’s largest retail chains. Her leadership emphasized customer service, ethical business practices, and employee welfare. She has supported education and community development through the Ackerman Family Educational Trust and Pick ‘n Pay Bursary Fund. Honored as a 2024 Hall of Femme Inductee, Ackerman continues to inspire with her advocacy for women in business. Despite challenges like load shedding, Pick n Pay reported a profit of R1.169 billion in 2023. Though the Ackerman family has stepped down from leadership, their 16.71 percent stake in Pick ‘n Pay, worth over $200 million, ensures their lasting influence in South Africa’s retail landscape.
4. Bridgette Radebe
Mmakau Mining (Pty) Ltd.
Bridgette Radebe (née Motsepe) is a pioneering South African mining entrepreneur and the elder sister of billionaire Patrice Motsepe. She is the founder and executive chairperson of Mmakau Mining, which she established in 1995 and has since grown into a diversified mining group with interests in gold, platinum, coal, chrome, and uranium. Widely regarded as South Africa’s first Black female mining entrepreneur, Radebe began her career as a contract miner in the 1980s, steadily building Mmakau into a significant player in the country’s mining sector. Beyond business, she serves as president of the South African Mining Development Association and supports emerging miners through the New Africa Mining Fund. Married to former cabinet minister Jeff Radebe, her influence has extended into shaping major industry players and advancing Black economic participation. In 2008, she was named International Businessperson of the Year, cementing her legacy as a barrier-breaking force in Africa’s mining industry.
5. Elizabeth Bradley
Wesco Investments South Africa
Elizabeth Bradley is a prominent South African businesswoman with investments spanning multiple industries. She chairs Wesco Investments and serves as vice-chairman of Toyota South Africa. In 2008, she played a key role in Wesco’s $320 million sale of its 25% stake in Toyota South Africa to Toyota Motor Corporation Japan. Born into a business legacy, she is the daughter of Albert Wessels, who first introduced Toyota to South Africa in 1961. Bradley’s leadership at Wesco began in 1986, and by 1991, she was its non-executive chair. Her investment portfolio includes stakes in Standard Bank, AngloGold, Sasol, Hilton Hotel, and Tongaat Hulett. Walking away with $150 million from the Toyota sale, she has built a reputation for strategic investment and resilience. Bradley’s keen eye for business opportunities has cemented her status among South Africa’s wealthiest women, making her a key player in the country’s corporate landscape.
6. Magda Wierzycka
Co-founder and CEO of Sygnia Ltd
Magda Wierzycka, a Polish-born South African entrepreneur, is a prominent figure in the financial services industry. Co-founded Sygnia Ltd in 2006 and served as CEO. During her tenure, she expanded the company’s assets under management from R2 billion to over R318 billion, establishing it as South Africa’s second-largest multi-management firm. Her career began at Southern Life in 1993, followed by roles at Alexander Forbes and Coronation Fund Managers, where she significantly increased institutional assets. In 2003, as CEO of African Harvest Group, she led its growth before its sale in 2006. Beyond her corporate achievements, Wierzycka is known for her anti-corruption activism and candid critiques of corporate misconduct. She has been recognized as one of Africa’s most powerful women by Forbes. Her journey from refugee to influential business leader exemplifies resilience and innovation in South Africa’s financial sector.
7. Lynette Saltzman
Dis-Chem Pharmacies
Lynette Saltzman, co-founder of Dis-Chem Pharmacies with her husband Ivan in 1978, remains a key figure in South Africa’s retail pharmacy sector. Ivan Saltzman recently divested R1.42 billion ($75.15 million) worth of shares, reducing his stake from 35.12% to 29.3%, following his retirement as CEO in June 2023. Despite past stock fluctuations, Dis-Chem continues to thrive with over 300 stores and 20,000 employees. Additionally, the Saltzmans finalized a $25.5 million sale of Dis-Chem’s headquarters and distribution center, reinforcing their strategic financial restructuring.
