List of South Africans
This is a list of notable South Africans who are the subjects of Wikipedia articles.
Academics
Medical
- Christiaan Barnard (1922–2001), pioneering heart surgeon
- Max Theiler (1899–1972), virologist, 1951 Nobel Prize winner
Scientists
- Robert Broom (1866–1951), palaeontologist
- Sydney Brenner (born 1927), biologist, 2002 Nobel Prize winner
- Allan McLeod Cormack (1924–1998), physicist
Writers
Authors
- J.M. (John Maxwell) Coetzee (b. 1940), 2003 Nobel Prize-winning author
- Nadine Gordimer (1923–2014), 1991 Nobel Prize-winning author
- Karel Schoeman (b. 1939), novelist and historian
- J. R. R. Tolkien (1892–1973), author of The Lord of The Rings
Journalists
- John Charles Daly (1914–1991), television journalist, executive and game show host
Artists
Performing artists
Actors
- Charlize Theron (b. 1975), actress and director
- Jessica Lane (b. 1980) actress
Playwrights and film directors
- Neill Blomkamp (born 1979), director, District 9
Singers, musicians and composers
- Johnny Clegg (born 1953), musician
- Miriam Makeba ("Mama Afrika," 1932-2008), singer and civil rights activist
- Manfred Mann (born 1940), musician
- Hugh Masekela (born 1939), jazz trumpeter and singer
- Joseph Shabalala (born 1941), founder and director of Ladysmith Black Mambazo
- Kobie van Rensburg (b. 1969), operatic tenor and director
- ZP Theart (b. 1975), singer, ex-Dragonforce
Media figures
- Troye Sivan (born 1995), YouTube personality, actor and singer
- Lindokuhle Modi (born 2004), Podcast host, actor and executive producer
- Candice Swanepoel (born 1988), Victoria's Secret model
Visual Artists
Business
- Elon Musk (b. 1971), Internet and space launch entrepreneur
- Harry Oppenheimer (1908–2000), businessman
- Mamphela Ramphele (b. 1947), political activist, academic, businesswoman and mother to the son of Steve Biko
- Cecil Rhodes (1853–1902), businessman
- Anderson Mann (1975) businessman, Founder of Voov
- Mark Shuttleworth (b. 1973), web entrepreneur, founder of Thawte and Ubuntu Linux, space tourist
Political
Activists and trade unionists
- Steve Biko, nonviolent political activist (1946–1977)
- Ahmed Kathrada, political activist (born 1929)
- Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (born 1936)
- Walter Sisulu, political activist (1912–2003)
- Oliver Tambo, political activist (1917–1993)
Apartheid operatives
- Eugène Terre'Blanche (1941–2010), white supremacist activist
Colonial and Union Governors
See also: British Cape governors
- Jan van Riebeeck (1619–1677), founder of Cape settlement
Leaders and politicians
- Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (born 1936), politician and second wife of Nelson Mandela
- Jacob Zuma (born 1942), current President
Prime Ministers and Presidents
- Pieter Willem Botha, 9th and last Prime Minister and 8th State President of South Africa
- Frederik Willem de Klerk (1916–2006), 9th and last State President of South Africa (1990–1994) and joint Nobel Peace Prize winner
- Paul Kruger (1825–1904), member of the Troika, 5th President of South African Republic
- Nelson Mandela (1918–2013), 1st democratically elected President of South Africa and joint Nobel Peace Prize winner
- Thabo Mbeki, 2nd post-apartheid President of South Africa
- Kgalema Motlanthe (born 1942), 3rd post-apartheid President of South Africa (born 1949)
- Jan Smuts (1870–1950), Boer general, British field marshal, 2nd and 4th Prime Minister of South Africa
- Johannes Strijdom (1893–1958), 6th Prime Minister of South Africa
- Jacob Zuma (born 1942), 4th post-apartheid President of South Africa
Royalty
- Mangosuthu Buthelezi, politician and a Zulu prince (born 1928)
- Shaka, founder of the Zulu nation (1787–1828)
Prelates, clerics and evangelists
- Albert Luthuli, cleric, politician and 1960 Nobel Peace Prize winner (c. 1898–1967)
- Desmond Tutu, cleric and Nobel Peace Prize winner (born 1931)
Sport
Athletics
- Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, middle distance runner, Olympic silver medallist (born 1980)
- Oscar Pistorius, double-amputee runner (born 1986)
Basketball
- Steve Nash, point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers (born 1974)
Cricket
- Norman Gordon, fast bowler (born 1911)
- Graeme Pollock, left-handed batsman (born 1944)
Golf
- Ernie Els (born 1969)
- Gary Player (born 1936)
Ice Hockey
- Olaf Kölzig, goaltender (born 1970)
Motorsport
- Jody Scheckter, 1979 Formula One world champion (born 1950)
Rugby
- Joost van der Westhuizen, Springbok, scrum-half (born 1971)
Soccer
- Quinton Fortune, midfielder and defender for Manchester United (born 1977)
- Benni McCarthy, striker (born 1977)
- Steven Pienaar, Everton F.C. midfielder (born 1982)
Tennis
- Roger Federer, holds both Swiss and South African citizenship (born 1981)
Travelers, adventurers and pioneers
- Bartolomeu Dias, explorer who reached eastern Cape (c. 1450–1500)
Other
- Paul Lloyd Jr, first South African wrestler to wrestle in WWE, son of successful SA wrestling promoter Paul Lloyd (born 1981)
- Taung Child, homonid fossil (born c. 2.5 million years ago)