Tycoon Rob Hersov tells young South Africans to go abroad

South African tycoon Rob Hersov says young South Africans who get the chance to work overseas should take it, using the time to build their skills and make money.

Hersov, who spent more than 30 years abroad before returning to Cape Town with his family, gave the advice on The Relocated South African, a podcast about emigration, in an episode released on Nov. 2.

He said life overseas is often romanticised by people thinking of leaving, and talked about his own decision to come back. “There is no place like home, but I’m telling you there’s no place like South Africa,” he said.

The episode, titled “31 Years Abroad: Why Rob Hersov Came Home,” also covered personal safety, the country’s economic prospects and his views on where South Africa is heading.

A career built abroad

Hersov was born in Johannesburg into a family that helped build South Africa’s mining industry. His grandfather, Bob Hersov, co-founded Anglovaal with the Menell family, and his father, Basil Hersov, led the group from 1973 until the family sold its controlling interest in the late 1990s.

He earned an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1989 and worked at Goldman Sachs and for Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. In 1998 he founded Marquis Jet Europe, which sold prepaid private-jet hours, and sold it to NetJets in 2004. He has advised the chairman of VistaJet since 2009.

In 2013 he founded Invest Africa, a London-based network that connects investors with African businesses. Since moving back to South Africa about a decade ago, he has bought Fisantekraal, a former military airfield near Cape Town, which he renamed Cape Winelands Airport, and chairs African Capital Investments and the family office Alternative Capital.

A vocal critic

Hersov has become one of the most outspoken businessmen in South African politics. He has repeatedly called for the African National Congress to be removed from power, and in 2025 he launched The Truth Report, a news venture.

His advice on emigration comes as many young South Africans weigh leaving, with unemployment high and the ANC’s support falling sharply in this month’s local elections.