Sunday, 25 January 2026
PATRICE MOTSEPE JOINS $4 BILLION CLUB AMID MINING RALLY AND GLOBAL EXPANSION
South African mining magnate Patrice Motsepe, who serves as president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and is an in-law of President Cyril Ramaphosa, has joined the $4 billion net-worth club, propelled by a rally in gold and copper assets and a strategic expansion into Australia.
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| Patrice Motsepe joins $4 billion club amid mining rally and global expansion |
- Patrice Motsepe, South African mining magnate and CAF president, has reached a net worth of $4.2 billion.
- His wealth growth is attributed to his mining interests in African Rainbow Minerals and Harmony Gold Mining Co.
- Motsepe's ventures now include significant investments in Australian mining, highlighting a strategic copper shift.
- He diversifies into other sectors including financial services and renewable energy through African Rainbow Capital.
- This achievement positions him among a select group of African billionaires who surpass the $4 billion net worth milestone.
Motsepe’s fortune is now estimated at about $4.2 billion, placing him among the world’s top 1,000 richest individuals, according to Forbes data, and making him the fourth South African to ever reach the $4 billion milestone.
The achievement places Motsepe in a small group of African billionaires who have surpassed the $4 billion mark, including Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest person; Johann Rupert, the luxury-goods billionaire behind Richemont; Nicky Oppenheimer, the former De Beers heir; Nassef Sawiris of Egypt; Mike Adenuga of Nigeria; and Abdulsamad Rabiu, the Nigerian industrialist whose fortune is anchored in cement and sugar.
Mining strength underpins wealth gains
Motsepe’s rise has been driven largely by his exposure to mining assets, particularly gold. He is the founder and largest shareholder of African Rainbow Minerals Ltd. (ARM), holding a 45.9% stake, and maintains an indirect interest in Harmony Gold Mining Co., South Africa’s largest gold producer.
ARM shares have risen more than 15% since the start of the year, lifting the company’s market capitalisation to roughly $3 billion and increasing the value of Motsepe’s stake to about $1.37 billion.
Harmony Gold shares have gained over 12%, taking the company’s valuation to approximately $14.4 billion and pushing the estimated value of Motsepe’s indirect holding to around $1.7 billion.
The gains have coincided with a surge in gold prices to record levels, as investors reassess monetary policy expectations and seek refuge in safe-haven assets.
Australian copper push signals strategic shift
Motsepe’s mining exposure is no longer confined to Africa. Through his influence at Harmony Gold, the billionaire has backed a significant expansion into Australia, marking a strategic push into copper, a metal critical to electrification and the global energy transition.
Harmony recently completed the $1 billion-plus acquisition of MAC Copper Ltd., owner of the high-grade CSA Copper Mine in New South Wales, one of Australia’s longest-running underground copper operations.
The company is also advancing the Eva Copper project in Queensland, with total development spending expected to reach up to $1.7 billion.
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| Nasser et Motsepe |
From first Black billionaire to diversified capital allocator
Through African Rainbow Capital, Motsepe has stakes in financial services, technology, infrastructure, and renewable energy, including Tyme Group, a Singapore-based digital bank operating across Africa and Southeast Asia.
Despite this diversification, his wealth growth comes amid a $195 million Tanzanian mining lawsuit against his firm, highlighting the challenges of cross-border resource investments.
Nevertheless, crossing the $4 billion mark remains rare among African billionaires, underscoring how commodity exposure, strategic diversification, and influence in sport and politics can elevate industrialists to the global wealth elite.
- OLAMILEKAN OKEBIORUN
HOME QUALIFIER GETS LIFE-CHANGING MONEY AFTER NAOMI OSAKA PULL OUT
Maddison Inglis said it was "like a dream" after Naomi Osaka's injury withdrawal sent the home qualifier into the Australian Open last 16 and with it life-changing prize money.
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| File image of Naomi Osaka © AFP |
Maddison Inglis said it was "like a dream" after Naomi Osaka's injury withdrawal sent the home qualifier into the Australian Open last 16 and with it life-changing prize money. The 168th-ranked Australian plays the biggest match of her life on Monday when she comes up against six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek at Melbourne Park. Inglis will be a massive underdog against the world number two, but whatever happens she will come away from the best tournament of her life at least Aus$480,000 (US$330,000) better off.
"The (ranking) points, the money, the experience, the fans, the courts that I'm getting to play on... it's honestly unbelievable, it's like a dream," she told local broadcaster Channel Nine.
"That money is life-changing."
The 28-year-old added: "To start the year like this, I couldn't be happier and I'm excited."
Inglis reached the second week at Melbourne Park when two-time champion Osaka pulled out of their third-round match on Saturday night just hours beforehand with an abdominal injury.
"I'm still in shock. Hopefully she's okay and recovers quickly," said Inglis, who had to come through three qualifying matches just to reach the main draw.
She then beat fellow Australian Kimberly Birrell in the first round before winning against German veteran Laura Siegemund, both in three sets.
-Agence-France Presse
CARLOS ALCARAZ MATCH HALTED AT AUSTRALIAN OPEN FOR MEDICAL EMERGENCY
Carlos Alcaraz's match against Tommy Paul has been paused as medics assist someone in the crowd.
Carlos Alcaraz and Tommy Paul’s fourth-round match at the Australian Open has been halted in the first set tiebreak due to a medical issue in the stands. The No. 1 seed had come back from an early break down in the first set and the players were changing ends at 3-3 in tie tiebreak when fans at the top of Rod Laver Arena started shouting down for assistance. “AO support we need your help,” spectators yelled.
Tournament staff quickly intervened as Alcaraz and Paul looked to the stands. “There is something happening above us, I’m not sure if it’s a spectator that’s fallen ill,” Mark Petchey said on commentary.
John Fitzgerald, sitting courtside, said: “It’s way up at the back, not sure if it’s a medical issue. It’s tough to see.” The umpire then informed the players that it was a medical emergency, and Alcaraz and Paul headed back to their benches while waiting.
The delay continued for more than 10 minutes, as co-commentator Ryan Harrison informed viewers that the players would have the option of a very brief warm-up when play did resume. Supervisor Gerry Armstrong also took to the court, speaking to Alcaraz, Paul and chair umpire Marija Cicak.
After around 14 minutes, Alcaraz and Paul started walking back to the baseline. “I believe that once they determine the person in the crowd is stable and there is no more medical emergency going on, they are just cooling down, it’s high up enough to play,” Harrison added.
Cicak returned to her chair and told the Rod Laver Arena crowd: “Ladies and gentlemen, everything is fine, we’re going to continue in a couple of minutes.”
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| There was a delay of around 14 minutes during the first-set tiebreak (Image: Channel 9) |
Alcaraz and Paul took the opportunity to have a quick warm-up, hitting some serves before getting back underway. Petchey said: “This is a warm-up coming here. Right decision for the players, rather than going in stone cold. It’s also a bit of emotion if someone in the crowd is unwell, they’re going to be concerned.”
Fitzgerald informed viewers that the person who needed assistance seemed to be “on their feet and exiting slowly”. Play resumed after around 14 minutes, and Alcaraz was the first to blink.
Paul took a mini-break lead at 5-4. But Alcaraz won the next two points and had a set point on his serve. The American ripped a backhand winner to level the score at 6-6, and they changed ends again.
But after all that work, Paul double-faulted to hand the six-time Major winner the first set 7-6(6) after more than an hour of play.
- Yasmin Syed in Melbourne
Saturday, 24 January 2026
U.S. CUSTOMS DERAILED RED BULL-FORD F1 ENGINE TEST BY SEIZING A TURBOCHARGER
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| Mark Thompson/Getty Images |
Red Bull Racing is taking a massive leap into the unknown this season by debuting its first in-house F1 power unit. As part of its new partnership, Ford contributed a significant amount of resources to the engine's development. However, it wasn't entirely smooth sailing for the fledgling program. A race to test a turbocharger before the 2022 summer break was derailed after the component was seized by US Customs and Border Protection. While most F1 teams are based in the United Kingdom, many have alliances that require collaborating across international borders.
For those unfamiliar with F1, the championship's governing body imposes a mandatory summer break to give team personnel a reprieve from the nearly year-round season. Christian Hertrich, Ford Racing's powertrain chief engineer, recounted an astonishing tale to The Drive indirectly caused by this regulatory deadline. Red Bull didn't have the facilities to test the turbo, so the program decided to stuff it into a briefcase and have an engineer hand-deliver it to Ford in Michigan. However, a customs agent decided to seize the component. Hertrich said:
So, I realized I was working in Formula 1 when I was at Customs and Border Patrol at 2 a.m., trying to recover this turbocharger because within 12 hours, we had to pull the plug for the summer shutdown, and after that, we couldn't do any more testing. We had to get data off of this to meet our deadlines. That was my opening experience, and it was legitimately sitting at the airport dealing with Border Patrol."
Crossing borders is as familiar to F1 teams as skirting the rules
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| Oracle Red Bull Racing / Red Bull Content Pool |
Hertrich would note that Ford and Red Bull had yet to establish a proper procedure for moving parts across the Atlantic with the necessary paperwork. The situation is far different four years later. Ocean-spanning partnerships aren't new to Red Bull or F1 as a whole. The team previously partnered with Honda. The Japanese automaker is now paired with Aston Martin. Haas, an American team, splits its operations between Britain and North Carolina. Cadillac is poised to do the same with its stateside base outside of Indianapolis.
Rival F1 teams wish they could seize Red Bull's turbocharger. The new power unit is facing scrutiny over rumors that it could exceed the 16:1 compression ratio limit set by this year's technical regulations. The technical chiefs from every F1 team are set to convene at an FIA meeting next week, where the topic will be discussed. It's feared that Red Bull-Ford-powered cars could have a 13-horsepower advantage on the rest of the field, estimated to be worth four-tenths of a second per lap.
- RYAN ERIK KING
Friday, 23 January 2026
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