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South African billionaire and philanthropist Anton Rupert (1916-2006) founded an empire that includes several hundred companies. He also supported the WWF and nature conservation in South Africa.

More about Rupert

On November 12, 2004, an additional Freedom from Want Award was presented to Anton Edward Rupert in Cape Town, South Africa.

Anton Rupert came from a seventeenth century emigrated Dutch family. He studied chemistry in Pretoria for some time, settled in Stellenbosch, opened a dry cleaning and in 1941 opened the first 'Voorslag Tabac' store in Johannesburg.

In a short time he acquired major interests in the tobacco industry with successful brands such as Rembrandt and Peter Stuyvesant. He also devoted himself to viticulture. He increased his wealth and influence by purchasing a number of luxury goods companies, mainly watches such as the Cartier brand. He also founded a chain of private clinics in South Africa. Rupert went on to own the media company NetHold which later became CanalPlus.

Anton Rupert ended up on the Forbes List of five hundred richest people in the world. In 2004 he was number 28 in the top 100 of Grote Afrikaners. He was very active for the World Wildlife Fund and founded the Club of 1001 for the benefit of WWF: a thousand seats for wealthy sponsors plus one seat for Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands. Together with Nelson Mandela and Prince Bernhard, he founded the Peace Parks Foundation, a chain of cross-border nature and wildlife parks in Africa.

Anton Rupert supported projects like landscape conservation, environment, art, architecture, education and music.

The Freedom from Want Award in 2004 turned out to be controversial. Despite the collaboration with Nelson Mandela and his successor Thabo Mbeki, Rupert was repeatedly accused of relations with the Broederbond, a conservative white stronghold that was only accessible to calvinists of Dutch descent. The Broederbond has always been a part of apartheid. There were also different voices. Rupert is said to have consistently advocated equal pay for white and colored employees. President Mbeki pointed to Rupert's role in the public debate. For example, he had called on the leaders of the apartheid regime to 'finally do something brave and enter into partnership with the colored majority'.

Reports came about the composition of the "secret membership list" of the Club of 1001. Among the members with $10,000 in deposits were allegedly con artists, money launderers, Mobutu politicians, landscape destroyers, and members of the Broederbond. The list remained largely secret and shrouded in conjecture.

The presentation, which took place as part of a festive dinner, included former state president and former laureate Nelson Mandela and his predecessor Frederik Willem de Klerk. The Dutch delegation was led by Dr. Siert Knigge, vice-chairman of the Roosevelt Foundation.

The presenters were: Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, granddaughter of President Franklin D. and Eleanor Roosevelt and Donald F. McHenry, former US ambassador to the United Nations.