Meet richest man in South Africa, who runs world's largest luxury watchmaker, his net worth is Rs...

Johann Rupert is a South African billionaire who controls Richemont, one of the world's largest luxury goods companies.  The company is best known for the brands Cartier and Montblanc and is considered the world's largest luxury watchmaker. It is a Switzerland-based company founded in 1988 by him. The majority of his fortune is derived from the company.

Johann Rupert's net worth

The 74-year-old is the richest man in South Africa with a net worth of USD 16.7 billion or Rs 145540 crore as per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. His other holdings include Remgro, a Stellenbosch, South Africa-based investment vehicle with stakes in more than 30 companies.

Born in Stellenbosch, he is the oldest son of billionaire industrialist Anton Rupert. Johann did his schooling in Stellenbosch, and later enrolled at the University of Stellenbosch to study Economics and corporate law. However, he didn't graduate, choosing to move to New York, where he took a trainee position with Chase Manhattan. After five years in New York, he returned to South Africa where he founded Rand Merchant Bank.

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Johann also owns part of the Saracens English rugby team and Anthonij Rupert Wines, named after his deceased brother. The billionaire says his biggest regret was not buying half of Gucci when he had the opportunity to do so for just USD 175 million. He lives in Stellenbosch with his wife, Gaynor. He has been a vocal opponent of plans to allow fracking in the Karoo, a region of South Africa where he owns land.