KEY POINTS
- JSE tech CEO pay reached R1.38 billion in 2025.
- JSE tech CEO pay was lifted by major equity sales.
- JSE tech CEO pay reflected sharp profit rebounds.
Chief executives at the five biggest technology companies on the JSE, excluding telecom operators, collected a combined R1.38 billion ($81.5 million) in compensation for 2025. The figure comes from an ITWeb report that examined how earnings moved across listed tech firms during the year.
The companies in the group include Naspers and its international arm Prosus, Karooooo, Datatec and Bytes Technology Group. Together, they hold a market value a little above R1 trillion ($59.1 billion). That is a fraction of the roughly 435 firms on the exchange, which together reach about R21 trillion ($1.24 trillion) in total market capitalisation.
JSE tech CEO pay highlights strong year
ITWeb’s breakdown covered cash salary, bonuses and benefits already earned in 2025. Long-term awards were not counted because they will vest in future periods and depend on meeting performance targets. At Naspers and Prosus, CEO FabrÃcio Bloisi received cash pay of $637,500, or around R10.79 million. His direct compensation looks restrained against long-term incentives valued at $54 million, about R914 million, which have been granted but remain unpaid. These awards reflect a rebound in results. Naspers moved from an operating loss in 2024 to a profit in 2025. Net profit rose from $2.855 billion (R47.4 billion) to $5.242 billion (R88 billion), which shows how sharply earnings shifted.
Karooooo founder Zak Calisto posted the largest headline figure of the group. He sold 1.5 million Karooooo shares in June at $50 each, or about R846.60 per share. The sale brought in gross proceeds of around R1.27 billion ($75.0 million). Analysts estimate his total haul, including dividends, reached about R1.64 billion ($96.9 million). His base salary is not disclosed in U.S. filings.
More gains across JSE tech CEO pay
According to Billioniare Africa, Datatec CEO Jens Montanana earned $4.65 million (R78.7 million) in 2025 from salary, benefits, pension contributions and performance-linked incentives. Datatec’s revenue slipped 8.8% to $3.64 billion (R61.46 billion) as demand softened and exchange-rate pressure built, but net profit still improved to $69.3 million (R1.17 billion). That shift came from lower restructuring costs, fair-value gains and better margins across its operations.
Bytes Technology Group CEO Sam Mudd received £978,000 (R22.08 million, $1.3 million). The company posted revenue of £217.1 million (R4.9 billion, $289.4 million), an increase of 4.9%. Operating profit rose 17.1% to £66.4 million (R1.5 billion, $88.6 million). The business delivered these results while working through investor concerns that followed governance issues linked to its former chief executive.
