South African companies have a strong track record of overseas expansion, with the likes of Naspers, MTN and SABMiller having all crossed borders with great success. Meanwhile, South African entrepreneurs such as Elon Musk, Mark Shuttleworth and Vinny Lingham have also made their mark in different ways in other markets.

For so long restricted by anti-apartheid measures, South African businesses have wasted little time in expanding to Europe and the United States in the years since 1994, demonstrating the versatility of local businesses as well as the fact that many services and products developed in Cape Town and Johannesburg have more in common with London and New York than Lusaka and Nairobi.