Hlumelo Biko

Hlumelo Biko (born 19 January 1978) is a South African businessman and investment banker. He is the son of Steve Biko and Mamphela Ramphele.

Hlumelo Biko
Biko (2022)
Born (1978-01-19) 19 January 1978
King William's Town, Eastern Cape, South Africa
EducationUniversity of Cape Town
Georgetown University
Occupation(s)Businessman, investment banker
Parent(s)Steve Biko
Mamphela Ramphele

Early life

His mother Ramphele was five months pregnant with him when she learned that Steve Biko, with whom she was having an affair, had been killed in police custody. She named him Hlumelo because it means "the shoot of a tree" in the Xhosa language.[1]

Biko holds a B.A. in History and Politics from the University of Cape Town, and a master of Science in International Business Government Relationships degree from Georgetown University.[2]

Career

Biko worked for the World Bank in Washington, D.C., in 1998 .

Biko and Ramphele co-founded Circle Capital, an investment company, in 2005.[3] Biko was the CEO of Circle Capital.[4] In 2008, Bespoke Magazine called him "the driving force behind a multi-million rand black empowerment company... one of South Africa's most intriguing empowerment vehicles."[2] in a failed business venture where Biko was the Chairperson and a colleague and friend Clive Rugara, Circle line food group faced lawsuits from suppliers and former employees for non payment .[5] Financial challenges and “poor trading conditions ” forced Circle Food Group to close their doors.[6]

Philanthropy

In parallel with a successful 13-year career as a venture capitalist, he is also a dedicated philanthropist, currently serving as vice-chairman of the Baxter Theatre, supporting budding small and medium enterprises as a board member of Endeavor offering mentorship and advice to a number of high impact South African entrepreneurs, and supporting increased access to education through institutions like Kommunity Group Projects, the University of Cape Town and African Schools for Excellence.

Private life

In early January 2018, he was arrested on charges of assault related to domestic violence of his wife.[7] The charges were later dropped and the couple divorced.

References
  1. Daley, Suzanne (13 April 1997). "The Standards Bearer". The New York Times. New York.
  2. Willis, Mike. "Bespoke People: Man of Change" Archived 6 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Bespoke, Beirut, July 2008.
  3. Bridge, Sherilee. Trailblazers: South Africa's champions of change. Cape Town: Double Storey, 2007.
  4. "Circle Capital Executive Team". circlecapital.co.za. Archived from the original on 14 April 2010. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
  5. "Biko's son 'dodges' huge hotel bill | IOL News". Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  6. "'Empty promises': Employees accuse Hlumelo Biko of owing them money". CityPress. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  7. Mortlock, Monique (3 January 2018). "Hlumelo Biko due in court over wife's assault". Eyewitness News. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
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