Koos Bekker

Koos Bekker
Born	(1952-12-14) 14 December 1952 (age 72) Potchefstroom, North West, South Africa
Alma mater	University of the Witwatersrand Columbia University
Occupation	Chair of Naspers
Spouse	Karen Roos
Children	4

Jacobus Petrus "Koos" Bekker (born 14 December 1952) is a South African billionaire businessman, and the chairman of media group Naspers. ^[1] The company operates in 130 countries and is listed on the London Stock Exchange and Johannesburg Stock Exchange. It has the largest market capitalization of any media company outside the United States, China and India. As of January 2025, his net worth was estimated at US$2.9 billion. ^[2]

Early life

Koos Bekker was born in Potchefstroom, South Africa in 1952. ^{[3] : 17} He attended Hoër Volkskool Heidelberg and completed degrees at Stellenbosch University, in law and literature, and at Wits University, in law.^{[ citation needed ]} He holds an MBA from Columbia Business School, ^{[3] : 17} New York and an honorary doctorate from Stellenbosch University.^{[ citation needed ]}

Career

After a few years in advertising, he received an MBA degree from Columbia Business School, graduating in 1984. As a result of a project paper, he, with a few young colleagues, founded one of the first two pay-television services outside of the United States. M-Net and its sister companies, such as Multichoice, eventually expanded to 48 countries across Africa. In the 1990s, he was a founding director of mobile communication company MTN. ^[4] In 1997 Bekker became CEO of Naspers, one of the initial investors in the M-Net/Multichoice group.^{[ citation needed ]} Naspers bought out the other shareholders. During his tenure, the market capitalization of Naspers grew from about $1.2 billion to $45 billion. His compensation package was unusual in that for fifteen years as CEO he earned no salary, bonus or perks. He was compensated solely via stock option grants that vested over time.^{[ citation needed ]}

Under Bekker, Naspers invested in pay television, mobile telephony and various internet services, which included buying part of the Chinese Internet firm Tencent as an anchor shareholder from 2001, with a current stake of 23%. ^{[2] [5]} The group conducts business in Europe, Africa, Latin America, Asia, the United States, and other countries. ^[6]

In 2020, former South African Minister for Communications, Yunus Carrim testified to the Zondo Commission into State Capture that Bekker had played a significant role in irregularly pressuring government officials to protect MultiChoice's effective monopoly over South Africa's pay-TV sector. Carrim stated that this was done by lobbying government to prevent the opening up and rollout of encryption capacity in set-top boxes. MultiChoice has denied these allegations, noting that Carrim confirmed that he had no personal knowledge of any fraud or corruption on MultiChoice's part. ^[7]

The Constitutional Court has held that Government's digital migration policy is not centered around individual players in the broadcasting industry and that the policy decision to dump decryption capability in government subsidized DTT set top boxes was in the best interests of the poor and the broader public. [Electronic Media Network Limited and Others v e.tv (Pty) Limited and Others 2017 (9) BCLR 1108 (CC). ^[8]

Personal life

Bekker is married to Karen Roos, has two children and resides in Cape Town, South Africa. ^[2] The couple have been responsible for developing Hadspen House near Castle Cary in Somerset, England, as The Newt in Somerset, a luxury hotel and visitor attraction in extensive grounds. ^[9] Since 2022, The Newt has been the primary sponsor of the Chelsea Flower Show, a garden show organized by the Royal Horticultural Society and attended by members of the British royal family. ^{[10] [11]}

Bekker has also owned the Babylonstoren, a wine estate in the Drakenstein Valley in the Cape Winelands, South Africa, since 2007. ^[12] As one of the oldest Cape Dutch houses in South Africa, the estate is a popular tourist attraction and hotel with its garden inspired by the historic Company's Garden in Cape Town. ^[13]

References

1. "About Naspers, Non-Executive Directors". Naspers. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
2. "Forbes profile: Koos Bekker". Forbes. Retrieved 28 January 2025.
3. Rumney, Reg (1999). Movers & shakers: an A-Z of South African business people. Internet Archive. Sandton: Penguin Books. ISBN   978-0-14-029025-7.
4. "Koos Bekker: Executive Profile & Biography - Bloomberg". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
5. "TENCENT HOLDINGS LIMITED". MarketScreener. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
6. "bne Intellinews - Naspers: a success story of one of the largest technology investors in Africa and the world". 27 September 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
7. "MultiChoice CEO emails staff to 'not be distracted' by testimony at Zondo Inquiry". News24.
8. "CONSTITUTIONAL COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA, Case CCT 140/16, 141/16 and 145/16" (PDF). CONSTITUTIONAL COURT OF SOUTH AFRICA, Case CCT 140/16, 141/16 and 145/16.
9. Gabby Deeming and Arabella Bowes, "The story behind The Newt in Somerset (and how to visit)", House and Garden, 16 August 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2024
10. "The Newt in Somerset: former sponsor of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, 2022-2025 / RHS Gardening". www.rhs.org.uk. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
11. "All the Royals and Celebrities Who Attended the 2025 Chelsea Flower Show". Town & Country. 20 May 2025. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
12. Rutherford, Sally (6 February 2022). "A Cape Wineland's farmhouse is restored to its rustic yet grand origins". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 19 August 2025.
13. Jacobs, Shaun. "The South African billionaire building luxury estates around the world" . Retrieved 19 August 2025.