The real stories behind how South Africans have built their wealth

Want to Build Wealth? Meet the South Africans Who Actually Did It

New kykNET series Welvaartskeppers goes inside the businesses, decisions, and lessons behind South African success stories.

What does it really take to build wealth in South Africa?

That is the question at the heart of Welvaartskeppers, returning to kykNET this October with a 13-part series that gets inside the lives, businesses and decisions of South Africans who have turned ideas, opportunities, and persistence into wealth.

Hosted by financial advisers and brothers PJ and Geo Botha, the series swaps financial theory for real stories, unpacking not only how people managed to build wealth, but what they got wrong, what they learnt, and what they would do differently.

The new season features Rassie van der Dussen, charting his move from professional cricket into entrepreneurship with Abantu Coffee; Vusi Thembekwayo, on building from humble beginnings and creating a legacy beyond himself; and Jannie Moolman of Moolman Group, whose story explores generational wealth and why inheriting a family name doesn't mean inheriting success.

Viewers also get access to the people behind some of South Africa's most exciting homegrown brands, including Andriette Georgiou of viral local success Mondvol Cookies, Pierre and Andriana Cronjé of Burnt Studios, Daneel and Stef Steinmann of Old School and Stephan Bredell of Plato Coffee, alongside Elana Afrika-Bredenkamp, who demonstrates how personal talent and reputation can themselves become valuable assets.

The television series builds on the ideas first explored in Riaan Botha's Welvaartskeppers: Strategie® wat jou lewe kan verander, followed by PJ and Geo Botha's Word Ryk, Bly Ryk: Hoe om welvaart te skep en bestuur.

Together, the books and series make one thing clear: there is no single road to wealth. But there is plenty to learn from the people already travelling it.

Welvaartskeppers airs on kykNET (DStv channel 144) every Thursday at 17:30 from 8 October 2026 for eight weeks.