Sir Richard Branson has been accused of ‘excluding the majority of the population’ of South Africa from a picture shared by the billionaire to launch a new entrepreneurship centre in the country.

The 69-year-old British businessman behind the Virgin group visited his Mont Rochelle Wine Estate near Cape Town earlier this week to launch the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship South Africa in Johannesburg.

“Wonderful to be in South Africa to help launch the new Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship” a statement posted to his Twitter to mark the occasion said, “We aim to become the heart of entrepreneurship for Southern Africa”.

However the image the shared alongside his announcement, which has since been deleted, was criticised by a number of South Africans for not better representing the ethnic makeup of the country his new centre will operate in.

It is unclear if those surrounding Mr Branson made up his employees or benefactors of the centre.

(Twitter (Twitter)

Fashion designer Thula Siundi wrote in response: “Where did you find so many white people in South Africa?

“That must have really taken an honest effort for exclude the majority of the population which is just as skilled and talented."

More than 76 per cent of the population of the country’s population is made up of black South Africans, compared to a white demographic which contributes 9.1 per cent.

Tebogo Ditshego, head of a public relations and marketing firm in the country, added: “Where's the diversity in that team?”.

Mr Branson has since deleted the image, issuing a statement apologising for the choice of picture.



"The Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship is for all South Africans" he wrote, "but yesterday's choice of a photo to go with my tweet clearly lacked diversity. Apologies.

“I hope you will take a look at my blog which does far better justice to the amazing work of the Centre and its team.”

Sir Richard Branson In Quotes Show all 6 1 /6 Sir Richard Branson In Quotes Sir Richard Branson In Quotes On Education 'My school report told a sad story. Should I have paid it too much attention, I would never have tried to achieve or succeed.' AFP/Getty Sir Richard Branson In Quotes On the youth: The opinions of the young are often cast aside, with claims that they are selfish, unknowing and ill-equipped to make important choices. This couldn’t be further from the truth,” PA Sir Richard Branson In Quotes On the refugee crisis: 'This is not just a humanitarian crisis, it is also a moral one.' Getty Sir Richard Branson In Quotes On what he would say to his younger self: 'The road ahead is pock-marked with many bumps, chasms and forks. There will be times where you want to give up and throw everything in. Don’t. By turning challenges into opportunities, you will find success you never realised you were capable of achieving. But you won’t always succeed. In fact, you will fail time and time again. That’s ok though, because failure is an inevitable part of every personal and entrepreneurial journey. It’s important to pick yourself up, retrace your steps, look at what went wrong, and learn from your mistakes.' Leslie Lee/Express/Getty Images Sir Richard Branson In Quotes On following the rules: 'You don't learn to walk by following rules, you learn by doing and by falling over.' Rex Sir Richard Branson In Quotes On failure: 'Failure is one of the secrets to success, since some of the best ideas arise from the ashes of a shattered business.' Getty Images

In a blog post on the launch, Mr Branson said the centre aimed "to become the heart of entrepreneurship in South Africa”.

He added: “We held the event at Mont Rochelle, Virgin Limited Edition’s stunning vineyard on the Cape, and were joined by some of our wonderful trustees, partners and of course, entrepreneurs we are supporting.