Sol Kerzner
Solomon 'Sol' Kerzner, KCMG (23 August 1935 – 21 March 2020) was a South African accountant and business magnate. He has founded both of South Africa's largest hotel groups, the Southern Sun Hotel Group and Sun International. He was also the founder, chairman, and CEO of Kerzner International. During his career in the resort industry, he was involved in various political and business controversies.
Sol Kerzner
23 August 1935
21 March 2020 (aged 84)
- University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
- B.Com (Accounting)
- B.Com (Hons) (Accounting)
Founder and Chairman of Kerzner International
- Maureen Adler
- with Adler:
- Howard Kerzner
- Andrea Kerzner
- Beverly Kerzner Mace
- with Bestbier:
- Brandon Kerzner
- Chantal Kerzner Sweeney
Early life and education[edit]
Kerzner was born in Durban to Russian Jewish emigrants.[1] His family owned and operated a chain of kosher hotels.[1] Prior to hospitality, Kerzner played with the Johannesburg Symphony Orchestra and was also an avid boxer becoming the Varsity Welterweight Champion.[2] Kerzner graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg with a BCom (Hons) in Accounting, and later qualified as a Chartered Accountant.[3] He then took control of the family company.[1]
Corruption, collusion and apartheid involvement[edit]
In 1984, Kerzner made a deal with Leslie Young, the Minister of Finance for the bantustan of Bophutatswana, that any investments by his company, Sun International, that had the effect of advertising apartheid abroad, would be tax-deductible. Sun International paid next to no money for taxes in South Africa due to tax breaks.[7]
In 1987, an agreement between Young and Kerzner stated that 90% of taxes from entertainers in Bophutatswana would go back to Sun International, with any entertainer making more than R26,000 having to pay half their income to Bophutatswana.[7]
In 1990, Kerzner was found to have paid R5 million to the Transkeian Chief George Matanzima for gaming licenses, R2 million of which was said to be a bribe. The case surrounding this was dropped in 1997.[7]
In 1997, Alan Greenblo was banned from publishing a biography on Kerzner, Kerzner - Unauthorized. While Kerzner wanted sections of the book to be removed, Witwatersrand Judge Monas Flemming banned it. Sections of the book were published in Noseweek the same year.[7][8]
Kerzner was a contact listed in Jeffrey Epstein's "little black book", which gained attention following the conviction and death of Epstein, who was a convicted sex offender.[9][10]
Personal life[edit]
Kerzner was married four times. His first wife was Maureen Adler and together they had three children:[11] Butch Kerzner, Andrea Kerzner and Beverly Kerzner Mace.[12][13] His second wife was Shirley Bestbier; they had two children: Brandon Kerzner and Chantal Kerzner Sweeney.[12][14] She committed suicide[1] soon after the birth of her second child.[12]
His marriage to his third wife, Miss World 1974 Anneline Kriel, ended in divorce after five years.[1] During a lengthy period in the 1990s, he dated the model Christina Estrada and got engaged, but never married her.[15] He married his fourth wife, Heather Murphy in 2000[16] and they divorced in 2011.[15]
Kerzner's son, Howard "Butch" Kerzner died on 11 October 2006 when the helicopter he was traveling in crashed near Sosua, in the Puerto Plata province of the Dominican Republic.[17][18] He left behind his wife, Vanessa Kerzner, and two children Tai and Kailin. Sol Kerzner's daughter, Andrea, is the founder and CEO of Lalela, a charity dedicated to bringing the arts to at-risk youth in South Africa.[19]
Kerzner was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the industry during the International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF) in March 2019.[20]
Kerzner was appointed an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, which allowed him to have the postnominal letters 'K.C.M.G.' after his name - but not the prenominal title of 'Sir' before his name, as he was not a citizen of a Commonwealth realm or the U.K. at the time of his honor being conferred.