Forbes has released its latest ’30 under 30 list’, focusing on the upcoming Africans you should know about.
The list was based on over 600 nominations, which were vetted, verified and investigated by the Forbes team over a number of weeks. The list favoured entrepreneurs with fresh ideas and took into account their business size, revenue, location, potential, struggles, social impact and resilience.
A panel of judges then debated the final 90 – which were then split up into 30 game-changers, in each of the three sectors – business, technology and creative.
South Africans dominated the business and technology lists with a combined 18 nominations.
While a number of industries were represented (notably construction and start-ups), nearly all of the South Africans stood out for their entrepreneurial work as either the founders or co-founders of their businesses.
“You may not know many of their names now and they may not be the richest people in Africa, but they could be the billionaires of tomorrow gracing our future covers,” Forbes said.
“This compilation is exciting, inspiring and offers a sneak peek into Africa’s future.”
You can find the complete list of South Africans named on the business and technology lists below.
*Despite a rank being given, the lists are in no particular order.
BUSINESS
| Rank | Name | Age | Business | Position | Industry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Roger Boniface | 29 | EDISIM | Founder | Education/Tech |
| 10 | Sihle Ndlela | 28 | Majozi Bros Construction | Co-founder | Construction |
| 11 | Vere Shaba | 29 | Shaba & Ramplin Green Building Solutions | Founder | Engineering |
| 13 | Wesley Beneke | 29 | WCB Construction | Founder | Construction |
| 17 | Joey Friedman | 26 | LA Group of Companies | Founder | Furniture/Various |
| 18 | Zuko Tisani | 25 | Legazy Technology Consulting | Founder | Technology |
| 21 | Zareef Minty | 24 | ZRF Holdings | Founder | Fashion/Various |
| 24 | Jack Mthembu | 27 | First One Adventures | Founder | Education/Various |
| 25 | Reabetswe Ngwane | 25 | KreamFields | Co-founder | Various |
| 26 | Annelisa Mntuyedwa | 28 | Gilbert Civils | Founder | Construction |
| 28 | Alexander Knieps | 27 | Printulu | Founder | Printing |
TECHNOLOGY
| Rank | Name | Age | Business | Position | Industry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rivo Mhlari | 23 | Rikatec | Founder | Information management |
| 6 | Berno Potgieter and Thatoyoana Marumo | 28 & 28 | Domestly | Co-founders | Cleaning app/Startup |
| 13 | Nneile Nkholise | 29 | iMed Tech | Founder | Medical |
| 15 | Riaz Moola | 26 | Hyperion Development | Founder | Coding/Education |
| 18 | Jaun Pienaar | 27 | Apex Media | Founder | Online/Video Production |
| 22 | Melvyn Lubega | 28 | GO1 (Go One) | Founder | Compliance/Training |
| 24 | Cukia Kimani and Ben Myres | 26 & 25 | Nyamakop Games | Co-founders | Gaming |