Earnings ability is in the stars

It is not surprising that Whitey Basson is the top earner on the Rich List.

Basson is one of five Capricorns among the top 100 earners, a star sign associated with action-oriented business-people.

Capricorns are excellent organisers, they're good at strategising, are incredibly ambitious and like to make things happen.

"They have the type of energy that if they're fired, they will work hard and buy the business and fire you," says astrologer Laurie Naughtin.

Though one of the hardest working signs, it's not that prevalent among the top earners. The big hitters are Virgos, (there are 16 among the top 100 earners), Gemini's (14) and Taureans (13).

The top earning Virgo is BHP Billiton CEO Marius Kloppers. Naughtin says Virgos are exact and insightful.

Geminis are the trend setters and the hunter-gatherers who love storing information which might appear useless at the time but are happy to share it when there's a need for it.

Johann Rupert is the top-earning Gemini.

Taurus is the first earth sign of the zodiac and besides being good in the garden, they're supposed to have a knack for making money grow.

The next most prominent categories on the list are Pisces followed by Scorpio.

Top ranking Pisces Phuthuma Nhleko was at the helm of cellphone group MTN for a decade, and is largely accredited for growing operations from two to 21.

Scorpios are very powerful, they like to be in control, they're intense "and will plunge depths to reach heights", says Naughtin.

When a business is in need of a transformation or a dramatic shift, a Scorpio is the one you need.

There are more Pisces, Aquarius and Gemini in the top 10 than any other sign. Those born under the sign Aquarius are the innovators.

Sadly for Librans, there are not many on the list.

When analysing the richest according to the Chinese signs, which are determined by their year of birth, there are more rabbits in the top 20 than any other animal.

Rabbits are one of the most fortunate signs. In business, they are shrewd, crafty and hard-nosed according to www.paranormality.com.

Among the top 100 richest, tigers rule followed by the ox, then horses.

Tigers love to be the centre of attention.

The ox is symbolic of prosperity that is achieved through hard work. People born in the year of the Horse are somewhat lively, according to the website.