JSE tech CEOs pocket R1.38bn ($81.5m) in 2025 as Naspers, Karooooo lead payout surge

Chief executives at the five biggest technology companies on the JSE, excluding telecoms, collected a combined R1.38 billion ($81.5 million) in pay during 2025, according to a recent report by ITWeb.

The group of companies – Naspers/Prosus, Karooooo, Datatec and Bytes Technology Group – together carries a market value of just over R1 trillion ($59.1 billion). That is a slice of the bourse’s roughly 435 listed firms, which have a total market capitalisation of about R21 trillion ($1.24 trillion).

ITWeb’s analysis focused on cash salary, short-term bonuses and benefits already earned in 2025. Long-term incentives were excluded because they vest over future years and are often tied to performance hurdles.

At Naspers and its international arm, Prosus, CEO Fabrício Bloisi received cash pay of $637 500, or about R10.79 million ($637 000), for the year to March. That looks modest next to performance-based long-term incentives of $54 million, around R914 million ($53.9 million), granted but not yet paid. The awards reflect a sharp turnaround: Naspers swung from an operating loss in 2024 to a profit in 2025, while net profit rose from $2.855 billion (R47.4 billion, $2.8 billion) to $5.242 billion (R88 billion, $5.2 billion).

Karooooo and Cartrack founder Zak Calisto realised the biggest headline number. He sold 1.5 million Karooooo shares in June at $50 (about R846.60) each, booking gross proceeds of roughly R1.27 billion ($75.0 million). Including dividends, analysts estimate he pulled in about R1.64 billion ($96.9 million), although his actual salary is not disclosed in U.S. filings.

Datatec boss Jens Montanana earned total cash of $4.65 million (R78.7 million, $4.65 million) in 2025, covering salary, pension, benefits and short-term incentives. Datatec’s revenue slipped 8.8% to $3.64 billion (R61.46 billion, $3.63 billion) on softer demand and currency headwinds, but net profit improved to $69.3 million (R1.17 billion, $69.1 million) thanks to lower restructuring costs, fair-value gains and better margins.

Bytes Technology Group CEO Sam Mudd was paid £978 000 (R22.08 million, $1.3 million). Bytes reported revenue of £217.1 million (R4.9 billion, $289.4 million), up 4.9%, and operating profit of £66.4 million (R1.5 billion, $88.6 million), up 17.1%, even as its share price lagged after governance concerns under a previous chief executive.