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Where are SA's female billionaires?

The richest man in SA, Ivan Glasenberg has an estimated net worth of R61,48 billion.

The richest woman in SA, Wendy Appelbaum, has an estimated net worth of R1,99 billion.

Let me spell it out: That's a R60 billion difference between them.

Now, I'm not shocked by the fact that there is a gender pay gap even amongst our country's wealthiest elite – after all South African men are earning up to 65% more than their female counterparts for doing the same job. But I honestly didn't expect such an enormous difference between the net worth of the men and the women.

Similarly, while the 10 wealthiest men in SA are all billionaires, only two ladies make the cut. 

These women, unlike most of us, are familiar with their employment rights. They know how to negotiate their pay cheques. These ladies know how to grow companies and drive profits up. They are confident and have the kind of business-savvy that is instinctive (although a degree certainly helps). These are our power players – the women who are striding ahead, forcing open the doors to boardrooms and smashing glass ceilings. And, yet, as the figures show, they're still lagging behind.

The man who came in tenth, Raymond Ackerman, is standing at R4.38 billion while the woman who came in tenth, Pauline Goetsch, is standing at R32 million.

It is going to take a lot of hard work and a lot of change to bring about economic equality between the sexes, but luckily women have never shied away from hard work or change.

But please, stop telling us that we’re equal when we’re so clearly not.
 
 
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