The South African billionaire who launched an exclusive R230,000-a-night luxury country house
Koos Bekker, one of South Africa’s most influential business executives and investors, has expanded his luxury portfolio with the launch of a new private estate where guests pay around R230,000 per night.
Bekker was born in 1952 in Potchefstroom and graduated from Stellenbosch University with degrees in law and literature. He later attended the University of the Witwatersrand, where he completed a law degree.
He earned an MBA from Columbia Business School in 1984 and, following this, along with a few young colleagues, founded M-Net. This was the first pay-television service in South Africa.
Bekker also helped to establish Mobile Telephone Network (MTN), which became Africa’s largest mobile telecom operator, and in 1997, he became the CEO of Naspers.
At the time, Naspers was a domestic print media firm. However, during his 17-year tenure, he shifted the company into consumer internet, e-commerce, and digital platforms in emerging markets.
This helped Naspers to show exceptional growth, making it one of the largest technology holding companies in the world.
Bekker’s compensation package as Naspers CEO was unusual as he took no salary, bonus, or perks. Instead, he was compensated exclusively through long-term stock grants.
Naspers’ investment in Tencent, widely seen as one of the best deals in history, has helped to make the company a big global powerhouse.
Bekker eventually stepped down as CEO in 2014 and took over as Chairman of Naspers in 2015, where he has remained to this day.
Due to his share-based compensation package, Bekker became one of South Africa’s only dollar billionaires. His current net worth is estimated at $3.8 billion.
The Yarlington Lodge and Bekker’s luxury portfolio
Bekker and his wife, Karen Roos, are well known for their luxury hospitality and estate developments, including the Babylonstoren wine estate in the Drakenstein Valley and The Newt in Somerset.
Bekker has expanded his luxury hospitality portfolio with the opening of Yarlington Lodge, an exclusive new private estate in Somerset, England and the latest addition to The Newt in Somerset.
The new property welcomed its first guests on 1 June 2026, following an extensive restoration project conducted in partnership with architectural firm Richard Parr Associates.
One standout detail about Yarlington Lodge is that guests can expect to pay around R230,000 per night to stay at the exclusive new property.
The property is located in the village of Yarlington, roughly 1.6km from The Newts main Hadspen House Estate, and can accommodate up to 32 guests across 16 bedrooms.
Guests have access to a wide array of amenities, including private gardens, walking trails, and a glasshouse dining venue, as well as a tennis court, croquet lawn, and cinema room.
Additionally, guests can request butler service, spa treatments, personal trainers, childcare, and meals prepared using produce grown on the estate.
The opening of this new property represents a further expansion of Bekker’s already considerable portfolio of luxury ventures, which has grown over the years.
This includes Babylonstoren wine estate and The Newt in Somerset, as well as an estate in Tuscany currently being redeveloped ahead of a planned 2027 opening and a farm near Amsterdam.
The Yarlington Lodge photos
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