South African insurance and business mogul Douw Steyn has passed away but leaves a legacy of good in his wake.
South Africa (04 February 2025) – While Douw Steyn (72) made billions, set up businesses overseas, and had every opportunity to live elsewhere, the mogul chose to invest in his beloved home country of South Africa. Through all of South Africa’s troubles, the Steyn family have stood steadfast in helping South Africa shine.
In remembering his legacy, business and philanthropy go hand-in-hand. It is easy to highlight how much Steyn was worth financially, it’s the worth he saw in supporting projects that uplift, that stands out most today.
Through his business pursuits, organisations like The Steyn City Foundation were established to support the community that lives alongside Steyn’s namesake, Steyn City. The foundation has focused on boosting education within the community, with thousands of school bags and supplies being donated to date. The foundation also hosts food and blanket drives to continue the support within the community.
Steyn shared his wife, Carolyn Steyn’s passion for making a difference, opening their home to the 67 Blankets cause, and turning their parking garage into a storage unit for the thousands of blankets collected for people in need. He shared in Carolyn’s efforts to make 67 Blankets reach as many people as possible, supporting the cause through the Douw Steyn Family Trust and other business subsidiaries. Most of all, celebrating every achievement the charity has accomplished to date.
During the pandemic, Steyn and his various business subsidiaries donated a total of R320 million towards COVID-19 relief and support efforts. The Diepsloot Foundation, founded by the St Mungo’s United Church, was also a beneficiary in 2020, receiving linen donations from the Saxon Hotel to go towards the making of masks for people in need.
The Saxon Hotel is famous in its own right, having once been Steyn’s personal home. This was a place of refuge for the late President Nelson Mandela. The home was said to have been used as a place where Mr Mandela recovered after his time in prison and where he went on to write his famous book “Long Walk to Freedom”.
Steyn’s homes, throughout his life, have been works of art. His home in Steyn City is a testament to the investments he chose to make that would benefit the South African people. In an interview shared on the estate’s website over a decade ago (unfortunately, it is no longer available online but archived by BizNews), Steyn shared that during the planning of his residential estate, it was Ubuntu that inspired the whole thing.
“I’ve always wanted to invest further in my country. The spirit of ubuntu is unique and unparalleled anywhere else in the world that I’ve lived or visited.
“I could have invested in a luxury residence in Europe or in the States, but instead I chose to invest in South Africa. This is indicative of the confidence I have in our country and the success of Steyn City.
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“I also long for the quality of life that we are creating for future residents and it therefore made sense for me to be a part of it. I don’t know of many investors that live on the lifestyle estates that they have developed. My wife and I are looking forward to entertaining our friends and business partners from all over the world at our new residence, while also exposing them to our magnificent country.” – Douw Steyn
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Job creation, attracting investment to South Africa and helping people in need have been some of the greatest cornerstones of Steyn’s accomplishments in business. While he may be gone, his legacy will live on in the hundreds of thousands of lives touched through his businesses and philanthropic pursuits.
Our heartfelt condolences go out to Carolyn Steyn, Douw’s children and the entire family during this time. While we know Douw Steyn was a very private man, he holds a great deal of space in the hearts of many South Africans. Rest in Peace, Douw.
Sources: Various – Linked Above / Photo Credit: Carolyn Steyn
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