Elie Susman (1880-1957) was the founder of Susman Brothers

Susman Brothers

Susman Brothers was a business partnership that united brothers Elie Susman and Harry Susman after they crossed the Zambezi river in 1901. The brothers were Jewish businessmen from Riteve, western Russia, now Lithuania. They founded, owned, and operated several large businesses in Africa. Elie...

, an African business partnership. He was a director of approximately 50 companies and chairman of the Rhodesian Mercantile Holding Co.

Personal life

Elie Susman was born to Jewish parents in Riteve

Rietavas

Rietavas is a city in Lithuania on the Jūra River. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 3,979. It is the capital of Rietavas municipality.The city is famous for building the first power station to produce electricity in Lithuania in 1892...

, western Russia, now Lithuania

Lithuania

Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...

. He had an older brother Harry (b. 1876) who was his business partner. He also had two sisters, including Dora Gersh.
With his brother Harry, Elie Susman, emigrated to South Africa in the late 1890s. From Francistown

Francistown

Francistown or Nyangabgwe is the second largest city in Botswana, with a population of about 85,363, and often described as the "Capital of the North". It is located in eastern Botswana, about north-northeast from the capital, Gaborone...

, they took a wagon loaded with trade goods and crossed the Zambezi

Zambezi

The Zambezi is the fourth-longest river in Africa, and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. The area of its basin is , slightly less than half that of the Nile...

 at Kazangula where they traded.

Career

He held the first mining license over what became the Rhokana mine. In 1930, he was one of the original directors who set up Northern Caterers Ltd., based in Kitwe

Kitwe

Kitwe is the second largest city in terms of size and population in Zambia. With a population of 547,700 Kitwe is one of the most developed commercial and industrial areas in the nation, alongside Ndola and Lusaka...

, which operated hotels and bakeries in Luanshya, Nchanga, Nkana, and Mufulira.

In the same year, he left Northern Rhodesia

Northern Rhodesia

Northern Rhodesia was a territory in south central Africa, formed in 1911. It became independent in 1964 as Zambia.It was initially administered under charter by the British South Africa Company and formed by it in 1911 by amalgamating North-Western Rhodesia and North-Eastern Rhodesia...

 and went to South Africa where, with a friend from Bechuanaland, Max Sonnenberg, they established the Woolworths

Woolworths (South Africa)

Woolworths Holdings Limited is a South African chain of retail stores and one of the largest in the country, modeled on Marks & Spencer of the United Kingdom . This relationship with Britain's Marks and Spencer was formed after the Second World War, which led to the retailer buying all of the...

 stores in Transvaal

Transvaal Province

Transvaal Province was a province of the Union of South Africa from 1910 to 1961, and of its successor, the Republic of South Africa, from 1961 until the end of apartheid in 1994 when a new constitution subdivided it.-History:...

; Susman served as the Resident director. He also was associated with Elie Susman Investments and Elie Susman Zambia Trust.