The woman who was told she was “not management material” — 20 years later, she runs the company
The woman who failed Grade 10 maths but now decides what happens to billions
The former petrol attendant who now tells South Africa where interest rates are going
The man who wanted to be a professional cricketer but ended up owning half of Sandton
The woman who started selling vetkoek from her kitchen and accidentally built a R4-billion empire
The former Woolworths cashier who now advises CEOs on how to save money
The man who couldn't afford a taxi but now owns a fleet of luxury cars
The woman who wanted to become a teacher but ended up running South Africa's biggest retailer
The former office cleaner who now signs off on multimillion-rand deals
The man who failed his driver's licence three times but ended up running a transport company
The woman who started with R200 and a frying pan and somehow became a property mogul
The former call-centre agent who now owns 47 shopping centres
The man who hated accounting at school but now controls a R12-billion balance sheet
The woman who couldn't get a job at the bank and eventually became its CEO
The former tuck-shop cashier who now decides which companies get listed on the JSE
The man who borrowed his first cellphone and eventually became a telecoms billionaire
The woman who began her career packing shelves and ended up running a retail empire
The former mechanic who now tells South Africa how much electricity will cost
The man who wanted to be a footballer but ended up becoming a billionaire in chicken
The woman who sold sandwiches outside a taxi rank and ended up employing 8,000 people
The former receptionist who now earns more than the entire office she once worked in
The man who started fixing computers for neighbours and ended up buying the company that made them
The woman who couldn't find a job after university and accidentally built a R1-billion business
The former security guard who now owns the building he used to guard
The man who started with one bakkie and now has a logistics empire stretching across Africa
The woman who quit her job to sell chicken wings and never looked back
The former school secretary who now runs a company bigger than the school
The man who was told his business idea was “mad” — now he's worth R800 million
The woman who started making cakes for colleagues and ended up supplying Woolworths
The former waiter who now owns the restaurant chain where he once worked
The man who couldn't afford a suit for his first interview and now wears one worth R80,000
The woman who began selling mielies on the roadside and ended up building a food empire
The former municipal clerk who now owns a technology company valued at R3 billion
The man who wanted to retire at 40 but accidentally became CEO
The woman who started with a borrowed sewing machine and now dresses South Africa's richest people
