South African tycoon Rob Hersov plans to build a world-class airport in Cape Town. The Newspaper reported his recent purchase of Fisantekraal Airport, located 13 kilometers northeast of Durbanville, together with his business partner, Nick Ferguson.
When the duo bought the airport in November 2020, they renamed it Cape Winelands Airport. But now: “We want to build the Lanseria Airport of Cape Town,” Hersov said.
The South African Air Force once owned the airport, which was built on a 150-hectare plot in 1943 to host operations by the country’s Lockheed Ventura* bombers. According to The Newspaper, the military transferred the airport to the local municipality in the 1960s. It was later sold to a private owner in 1993.
The airport is currently a flight training ground and an alternative to the Cape Town International Airport for a number of aviation services. Some private aircraft and helicopter owners also use its hangers to store and maintain their air vehicles.
The tycoon ultimately plans to offer passengers additional landing choices when traveling in and out of Cape Town and to boost local tourism while doing business.
Rob Hersov
Hersov is a descendant of the prominent Hersov family in South Africa, renowned for the Anglovaal Group, a conglomerate founded by his grandfather, Bob Hersov, in 1933. His father Basil later held the reins of the company.
Hersov began his career at Goldman Sachs in New York. He later became head of the European media investment banking team at Morgan Stanley in London. He served and became close friends with famous billionaire brothers, Murdoch and Johann Rupert, before exploring entrepreneurship.
He once owned a Series B Italian football club, L.R. Vicenza, was an actor, and had other businesses, including a successful jet company, which he sold to Warren Buffet in 2004.
He is the chairman and CEO of Invest Africa. The leading pan-African business platform promotes trade and investment in Africa with a global footprint of more than 400 member companies, comprising multinationals, private equity firms, institutional investors, development finance institutions, professional service organizations, government bodies and entrepreneurs.
*The Lockheed Ventura is a twin-engine medium bomber jet and patrol bomber used in World War II.
