Motsepe Could Be the Next President of South Africa. But Who Is He?

South African mining magnate and football administrator Patrice Motsepe is increasingly being spoken about as a potential candidate to become the next leader of the African National Congress (ANC) and possibly the next president of South Africa. And while Motsepe has remained out of formal politics for most of his life, he has built a career that spans law, business, sport, and philanthropy, making him one of the most influential figures in South Africa and on the African continent.

Motsepe was born on 28 January 1962 in Soweto, Johannesburg. His father, Augustine Butana Chaane Motsepe, was a Tswana chief, and an anti-apartheid activist. He played a key role in founding the National African Federated Chamber of Commerce, a business lobby group that was established in 1964 to promote the interests of black business during apartheid, and which still operates today.

Motsepe matriculated at Tsogo High School in what is today North West province, a school founded by an order of the Catholic Church. He went on to study at the University of Swaziland before getting a law degree from the University of the Witwatersrand.

In 1994 he became a partner at Bowman Gilfillan, one of South Africa’s major law firms.

Motsepe founded African Rainbow Minerals, a diversified mining company with interests in gold, platinum, iron ore, coal, and other commodities, in 1997. The company has since grown into one of South Africa’s leading mining groups and listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in 2002. Over the years, Motsepe has also held senior roles in other major companies, including serving as non-executive chairman of Harmony Gold and deputy chairman of Sanlam.

According to Forbes, Motsepe is the tenth-richest person in Africa, and the fourth-richest person in South Africa.

Beyond business, Motsepe has played a prominent role in African football. He purchased Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club in 2003 and oversaw a period of significant success for the team. It has won the Premier Soccer League, South Africa’s topflight football league, eight seasons in a row, and is currently second on the log in the current season.

In March 2021, he was elected president of the Confederation of African Football, the governing body for the sport on the continent. He has also been spoken about as a potential president of FIFA, the body that governs global football.

Motsepe is also known for his philanthropic work. Together with his wife, Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe, he co-founded the Motsepe Foundation and in 2013 joined The Giving Pledge, committing to donate at least half of his wealth to charitable causes.

According to published funding reports from the Electoral Commission, while there is no record of Motsepe himself donating to any political parties, African Rainbow Minerals and Harmony Gold, companies with which he has been intimately involved, have donated money to parties across the political spectrum. African Rainbow Minterals and Harmony Gold have donated money to the ANC, Democratic Alliance, African Christian Democratic Party, Inkatha Freedom Party, Economic Freedom Fighters, and the Freedom Front Plus.

Motsepe is also related, through marriage, to both President Cyril Ramaphosa and former Cabinet minister Jeff Radebe.