Table of Contents
Billionaire businessman and investor Koos Bekker crossed a personal milestone this month when Forbes briefly listed him as the third South African billionaire with a net worth above $4 billion. The moment was short-lived. Within days, the longtime media executive and investor saw his fortune slide by about $200 million, pushing him back below the $4 billion mark and costing him his position among the country’s three wealthiest individuals.
Naspers, Prosus shares trim Bekker wealth
Bekker, 73, whose career has spanned print media, global tech investing, and luxury hospitality, now has a net worth of $3.8 billion, down from $4 billion on Jan. 14, according to Forbes’ real-time data. The drop reflects a pullback in the share prices of Naspers and Prosus, the two companies that account for most of his wealth and define his legacy in global technology.
Best known for backing Tencent more than two decades ago, Bekker led Naspers in 2001 to invest about $34 million in the Chinese internet company, then a little-known startup. Tencent has since grown into China’s top tech company with a market capitalization approaching $600 billion, and that early decision continues to shape how investors view Bekker’s career.
Stocks drop, Bekker wealth dips
The recent decline in his wealth is tied to weakening equity markets rather than any shift in his holdings. Bekker owns a 0.93 percent stake in Naspers, equal to 1,687,887 shares, and a 0.76 percent stake in its Amsterdam-listed subsidiary Prosus, totaling 19,646,498 shares.
Over the past week, Naspers shares fell nearly 9 percent, pulling the company’s market value below $50 billion and reducing the value of Bekker’s stake to under $1 billion. Prosus shares slid by almost 7 percent over the same period, dragging its market capitalization below $150 billion and leaving Bekker’s holding worth just over $1 billion.
The drop has moved Bekker into fourth place among South Africa’s richest people, behind mining entrepreneur and Confederation of African Football President Patrice Motsepe, who now occupies the third spot. The timing is notable. Just days before Christmas, Bekker sold shares worth nearly R2.5 billion ($150.3 million) through his family trust.
Strategic share sales fund hospitality projects
The sales, disclosed in regulatory filings and carried out between Dec. 17 and 19, were intended to fund hospitality developments in South Africa, the United Kingdom and Italy. Naspers said Bekker sold just under 800,000 shares for R860.5 million ($51.7 million).
He also disposed of 1.55 million Prosus shares at average prices ranging from €51.24 ($60.37) to €53.68 ($63.23). Before these transactions, Bekker had not sold shares in either company between 2015 and 2023. Earlier sales included R3.4 billion ($204 million) in March 2023 and R2.97 billion ($178 million) in December 2024.
Koos Bekker builds three-country hospitality assets
Away from public markets, Bekker and his wife, Karen Roos, have steadily built a hospitality portfolio that now spans three countries. They have owned Babylonstoren, a historic wine estate in South Africa’s Cape Winelands, since 2007. The property, centered on one of the country’s oldest Cape Dutch houses, has become a major tourist draw with a hotel and gardens inspired by Cape Town’s Company’s Garden.
The couple also own The Newt in Somerset and Vignamaggio near Florence. In February 2024, they opened Blou, a small beachside retreat near Plettenberg Bay, reserved for guests of Babylonstoren or The Newt. The Newt, redeveloped from Hadspen House, has been a primary sponsor of the Chelsea Flower Show since 2022, underscoring how Bekker has increasingly focused his capital and attention beyond technology and media.
