their hotel business traces its roots back to 1969, when the southern sun hotel company was created when south african breweries and south african businessman sol kerzner joined forces. by 1983, southern sun hotels operated 35 hotels, generating a net income of $35 million . at this time, south african breweries split its hotel interests into two; sun international, headed by sol kerzner, retained all of the casino hotels located in the areas that south africa had designated as "independent homelands" and had southern sun as a 20% stakeholder. sol kerzner sold all of his share in southern sun to focus on sun international (south africa). southern sun retained the company's other hotels in south africa, and remained focused on the hotel market rather than casinos. 1984 saw the commencement of kersaf investments limited, a company that took great interest in sun international (south africa). this commencement was by a scheme of arrangement, such that sun international would form one of kersaf's subsidiaries. kersaf was more focused on cinemas, restaurants, shopping and leisure at first, but as the next twenty years passed, its hotel and casino interests thrived under the sun international brand, and slowly kersaf began to dispose of its other interests and acquire more share in sun international.