5. Hosken Consolidated Investments chairman

MARCEL GOLDING

Marcel Golding, a former trade unionist, is the chairman of Hosken Consolidated Investments (HCI) which is the biggest shareholder in e.tv, South Africa’s first free-to-air private television station. His company is also involved in E.Sat, one of the four new pay-TV channels launching in the new year. It is planning to launch a 24-hour news channel which will compete head on with Telkom Media’s news channel.

“My role is to build a successful and prosperous company that is concerned about its employees… This is one of those industries where people can get an inflated sense of their own importance,” he said when he launched e.tv which soon surpassed the SABC channels in viewership numbers.

Golding also has directorships in most HCI companies including Tsogo Investment Holdings (the controlling company of Tsogo Sun), Golden Arrow bus company, niche financial services group Mettle and Wired, the company that controls YFM, according to the Financial Mail’s Little Black Book. His influence is felt behind media doors.

Source: Media