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Bekker was up against Enaleni CEO Trevor Edwards, Grindrod CE Ivan Clark, Wiphold co-founders Louisa Mojela and Gloria Serobe and Adam Ebrahim, CEO of Oasis Group Holdings.
Bekker's key innovations include the birth of M-Net, Supersport, MultiChoice (Satellite DSTV), and M-Web in South Africa, as well as the encryption provider Irdeto in Holland; the co-creation with other shareholders of MTN locally and Tencent (QQ) in China.
Most recently his entrepreneurial creations included the initiation of the broadband service Entriq in the US. He has also been instrumental in the transformation of Naspers since he took over in 1997, both financially and strategically.
His view on entrepreneurship includes a caution. He told Fin24 sister publication Finweek in an interview that entrepreneurs must often take great risks to make money. "But they aren't gamblers - because they hate losing."
He said he finds the media world exciting because it moves so rapidly and involves so many disciplines - technology, social trends, the economy, poker and a bit of human knowledge. "As soon as you think you know something, it's already outdated."
Fulton Ramaphakela of Moloko Group Holdings was named the winner of the Emerging Entrepreneur category, where the other contenders were Dale Hefer, CEO of ChilliBush Communications, Bruce Bishop, owner and manager of Elzea Snacks, and Paul Anley, CEO of Pharma Dynamics.
The Ernst & Young Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed upon Eric Molobi.
The Best Entrepreneur Category of the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Awards has been running in South Africa for the past nine years, with Bill Lynch of Imperial Holdings winning the award in 2005 and going on to be the first South African to win the global award in Monte Carlo in June this year.
Bekker will go on to represent South Africa on the global stage in Monte Carlo in June 2007 where winners from 39 countries are expected to compete for the much-sought after international Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Award.
Read the Finweek interview Bekker beat the odds.
