List of Private Jet Owners in South Africa Who Are Celebrities

In the past years, a few celebrities in South Africa, who are rand billionaires, have gone from flying private jets to owning them. Such SA celebrity private jet owners and frequent flyers include Black Coffee, Somizi Mhlongo, Khanyi Mbau, and Cassper Nyovest.

While the price of buying a private jet varies depending on the type, the cheapest private jet reportedly cost north of $1.96 million. Also, the cost of hopping on private charters is said to be at least R20,000 for a one-way trip. Despite the hefty price tags, several South African A-list celebrities have gotten accustomed to living a life of luxury and comfort. Hence, they spare no cost on state-of-the-art jets, thanks to their whopping net worths.

Celebrities Who Own Private Jets in South Africa

1. Robert Gumede

Date of birth: August 9th, 1963
Age: 60 years old
Jet Type: Bombardier Challenger 604
Date Acquired: August 2013
Net Worth: $200 million (over R3 billion)

With a net worth of $200 million (over R3 billion), Robert Gumede is one of the richest businessmen in South Africa, and he is equally dubbed a celebrity in the country. His private jet, Bombardier Challenger 604, was presented to him as his 50th birthday gift by his wife, Dr. Portia Gumede, and children in August 2013, and it’s worth over R60 million.

Gumede is the chairman and founder of Gijima Group and Guma Group. And his subsidiary company, GijimaAST is one of the top empowerment IT companies in South Africa and has contracts worth billions of rands.

2. Shepherd Bushiri

Date of birth: February 20th, 1983
Age: 41 years old
Jet Type: 1984 Gulfstream III model 1159
Date Acquired: 2015, 2016
Net Worth: $150 million (R2.6 billion)

Prophet Shepherd Bushiri shows off his multimillion private jet as he flies to Sydney (photos): https://t.co/DgtDNkI5f0 pic.twitter.com/S8eFfYbVEW

— Legit.ng | Leading the way (@legitngnews) November 29, 2017

Though a Malawian citizen, Pastor Shepherd Bushiri is a celebrity in South Africa as his church, Enlightened Christian Gathering, is headquartered in Pretoria. He reportedly owns four private jets and purchased three of them in two years. He purchased his third private jet in 2016, and it was said to retail for $37 million.

Bushiri is ranked as one of the richest pastors in Africa and has a net worth of $150 million (R2.6 billion). Among his fleet of cars are Bentley Bentayga Limited Edition, Aston Martin, Rolls Royce Black Badge, Maserati Levante, and Mercedes Benz G Class.

List of 10 South African Celebrities Who Fly Private Jets

From jetting off on vacations to flying private jets for musical tours and performances, here are top celebrities in SA who have gained a reputation for their exquisite taste for private charters.

1. Black Coffee

Date of birth: March 11th, 1976
Age: 48 years old
Jet Type: D-IEMO Raytheon Premier 1A
Net Worth: $60 million (over R1 billion)

The European Summer is on and I’m so excited and grateful to be able to
travel, share Music, Joy and Love around the World one day at a time and to share it with people of all religions, races, color or https://t.co/TKWMgD03vl has no boundaries, no borders. pic.twitter.com/4Hy3INPJbX

— Black Coffee (@RealBlackCoffee) May 3, 2018

In May 2018, it was speculated that DJ Black Coffee has joined the league of celebrities in South Africa who own private jets. He shared a picture of himself in a private jet which sparked the rumor. He, however, took to Twitter to confirm that the jet was not his, but he rented it for his European Summer Tour to travel across the globe.

Chartering the jet, D-IEMO Raytheon Premier 1A, is said to cost as much as R35,646 per hour. The world-class DJ sits on a net worth of R60 million (over R1 billion) and owns over 7 companies, including Soulistic Music Agency.

2. Shauwn Mkhize

Date of birth: April 6th, 1976
Age: 48 years old
Jet Type: Not known
Net Worth: $21 million (over R376 million)

Reality TV star and businesswoman Shauwn Mkhize has been flaunting her massive wealth in recent years by chartering private jets and helicopters for her travels. Though it was speculated that MaMkhize bought a blue and gold color private jet which she posted on social media in June 2023, it turned out to be her dream jet which she’s working hard to buy. The 48-year-old serves as the owner of the football club Royal AM FC, and has a net worth of $21 million (over R376 million).

3. Khanyi Mbau

Date of birth: October 15th, 1985
Age: 38 years old
Jet Type: Not known
Net Worth: $10 million (R179 million)

Khanyi Mbau is an award-winning actress, TV presenter, and socialite who has accumulated a total wealth of $10 million (R179 million). She is well known for flying private for some of her trips. In July 2020, she shared on social media a video of herself walking out of a private jet that just landed. Khanyi began her career in 2004 and is famous for her roles in Muvhango, Uzalo, and The Wife.

4. Cassper Nyovest

Date of birth: December 16th, 1990
Age: 33 years old
Jet Type: Not known
Net Worth: $8 million (R143 million)

5. Bonang Matheba

Date of birth: June 25th, 1987
Age: 36 years old
Jet Type: Not known
Net Worth: $7 million (R125 million)

Bonang Matheba is a model, TV and radio personality, and businesswoman, whose careers have paid off with a total fortune of $7 million (R125 million). It’s no secret that she loves traveling in private jets as she shares the photos on her social media accounts. The House of BNG owner made headlines in December 2016 when she flew to three cities in one night in a private jet, celebrating New Year’s Eve.

6. Somizi Mhlongo

Date of birth: December 23rd, 1972
Age: 51 years old
Jet Type: Not known
Net Worth: $5 million (R89 million)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Somizi (@somizi)

In July 2020, media personality Somizi Mhlongo shared on Instagram pictures of himself and his then-husband, Mohale Motaung, jetting off to Durban in a private jet for a weekend vacation. In the next year, he was spotted with his best friend, Vusi Nova, flying private as they were going on vacation together. Somizi has emerged as one of the avid private jet travelers in recent years.

He works as a choreographer, chef, TV presenter, reality talent show judge, singer, and author. Hence, Somgaga’s net worth is estimated at $5 million (R89 million).

7. Nomzamo Mbatha

Date of birth: July 13th, 1990
Age: 33 years old
Jet Type: Not known
Net Worth: $3 million (R53 million)

Nomzamo Mbatha’s illustrious acting career afforded her to fly private in June 2020. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, many celebrities took to the route of flying private in order not to miss their engagements and also for health safety. Aside from acting, the 33-year-old wears other creative hats as she is a TV personality and businesswoman. She is said to be worth $3 million (R53 million).

8. Pearl Thusi

Date of birth: May 13th, 1988
Age: 35 years old
Jet Type: Not known
Net Worth: $2 million (R35 million)

South African actress Pearl Thusi was spotted walking off from a private jet with her luggage in November 2020 during the pandemic. She shared the picture on Instagram and Facebook. She has a net worth of R2 million (R35 million), and in addition to acting, she works s a model, TV presenter, and entrepreneur. She is best known for playing a titular role in the Netflix series Queen Sono.

9. Nasty C

Date of birth: February 11th, 1997
Age: 27 years old
Jet Type: Not known
Net Worth: $2 million (R35 million)

Just like Pearl Thusi, rapper and record producer Nasty C, whose real name is Nsikayesizwe David Junior Ngcobo, is said to be worth $2 million (R35 million). On some occasions, he has been seen flying private for musical gigs. He has been active in the music industry since 2013 and is famous for releasing commercially successful albums like ‘Bad Hair’ and ‘Strings and Bling’.

10. King Monada

Date of birth: November 25th, 1992
Age: 31 years old
Jet Type: Propeller plane
Net Worth: $500,000-$2 million (R8.9 million-$17.9 million)

King Monada set social media abuzz when he posted a photo of himself beside a fancy mini-private plane in June 2021. And he captioned the photo, “Sometimes you just have to wake up and fly around your hood to see your neighbors from above”. Though he was mocked for the size of the plane, the SA musician leads a luxury lifestyle.

His net worth is estimated between $500,000 and $2 million (R8.9 million and R17.9 million). And he owns many expensive cars, including Mercedez Benz C63 AMG worth over $70,000.