The philanthropic work of SA billionaires Johann Rupert and Christo Wiese traces its roots back to a Peruvian economist, of all places.

The simple question being: why can’t poor communities use what they already have? As such, Rupert and Wiese (and others) have backed the Khaya Lam Project since 2013. And it has now delivered 24 500 title deeds to South Africans who reside on land they don’t legally own.

Wiese explained at the recent BizNews Conference that whole thing began with a book. Titled The Mystery of Capital, it’s penned by Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto. De Soto’s argument is remarkably simple.

Even the poorest people around the world are sitting on trillions of dollars in real estate. Yet, they can’t use it, because they don’t hold a formal title. And no deed means no collateral, no loans and nothing to pass down to their family …

SA BILLIONAIRES GIVE BACK

“There really isn’t a lot of wisdom required to solve this problem. Cut the red tape and give people legal ownership of the land they already live on,” said Wiese. De Soto once admitted over dinner with the SA billionaires that only two governments had ever taken up his idea of large-scale title transfer. South Africa was not one of them …

The Free Market Foundation (FMF) runs the day-to-day of the Khaya Lam project. It is estimated that between 7 to 11 million South Africans own the house they live in but not the ground it stands on. “People understand property rights instinctively. Nobody would try to steal a neighbour’s plot. But without a deed, none of it counts on paper. No collateral. No inheritance. No way to start a business against the value of your own home,” Wiese said.

24 500 DEEDS BLESSED A handing over ceremony when Khaya Lam surpassed 10 000 title deeds back in 2023. Image: File

The FMF found its first opening in the Free State, back in 2013, exactly 100 years after the 1913 Natives Land Act stripped Black South Africans of the right to own land. Just a few hundred deeds were handed over in the project’s earliest days. Wiese recalls one elderly woman bursting into tears when she received hers. “At last, I have something to leave my children,” she exclaimed.

The next milestone for the SA billionaires came in January 2023, when the project reached 10 000 transfers. Since then, delivery has grown exponentially. In the three and a half years since, Khaya Lam has been on a rate of 4 000 deeds per year to the previously disadvantaged. Each transfer currently costs R3 750. Beneficiaries pay nothing and sponsors cover it all.

THE MONEY BEHIND SA BILLIONAIRES

Meanwhile, Rupert and Wiese’s own fortunes have moved a long way since the project first started. Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index puts Rupert above $20 billion in June 2026, driven by a Richemont share rally. And Wiese’s fortunes have been more chaotic. He lost roughly $4 billion when Steinhoff collapsed in 2017. However, he’s since rebuilt his fortune through Shoprite, Pepkor, Invicta and Premier Group. And Bloomberg has him value at approximately $1.7 billion as of July 2026. This qualifies him as South Africa’s sixth-wealthiest person currently.

But what do you think? Are you happy to see two SA billionaires giving back to the community? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below …