M. J. du Plessis was born in East London, South Africa. In 1976 he entered government service, and in 1979 he joined the private sector. After a successful stint as the regional manager for Datsun Finance in Eastern Cape, du Plessis entered the world of mining, traveling Africa, and working with various government officials of different countries. In 1992, du Pleiss sold his shares in the mining company and concentrated on project funding and development.