White South Africans generally refers to South Africans of European descent. In linguistic, cultural, and historical terms, they are generally divided into the

Afrikaans Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans g ...

-speaking descendants of the Dutch East India Company's original settlers, known as

Afrikaners Afrikaners () are a South African ethnic group descended from predominantly Dutch settlers first arriving at the Cape of Good Hope in the 17th and 18th centuries.Entry: Cape Colony. ''Encyclopædia Britannica Volume 4 Part 2: Brain to Cas ...

, and the Anglophone descendants of predominantly British colonists of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

. In 2016, 57.9% were native Afrikaans speakers, 40.2% were native English speakers, and 1.9% spoke another language as their mother tongue, such as Portuguese,

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

, or German. White South Africans are by far the largest population of White Africans. ''White'' was a legally defined racial classification during

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

. Most Afrikaners trace their ancestry back to the mid-17th century and have developed a separate cultural identity, including a distinct language. The majority of English-speaking White South Africans trace their ancestry to the 1820 British, Irish and Dutch Settlers. The remainder of the White South African population consists of later immigrants from Europe such as Greeks and

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

from Lithuania and

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...

. Portuguese immigrants arrived after the collapse of the Portuguese colonial administrations in

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Mala ...

and

Angola , national_anthem = "Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

, although many also originate from

Madeira ) , anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira") , song_type = Regional anthem , image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg , map_alt=Location of Madeira , map_caption=Location of Madeira , subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...

History

The history of White settlement in South Africa started in 1652 with the settlement of the Cape of Good Hope by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) under Jan van Riebeeck. Despite the preponderance of officials and colonists from the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, there were also a number of French

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Bez ...

s fleeing religious persecution at home and German soldiers or sailors returning from service in Asia. The Cape Colony remained under Dutch rule for two more centuries, after which it was annexed by the United Kingdom around 1806. At that time, South Africa was home to about 26,000 people of European ancestry, a relative majority of whom were still of Dutch origin. However, the Dutch settlers grew into conflict with the British government over the abolition of the slave trade and limits on colonial expansion into African lands. In order to prevent a frontier war, the British Parliament decided to send British settlers to start farms on the eastern frontier. Beginning in 1818 thousands of British settlers arrived in the growing Cape Colony, intending to join the local workforce or settle directly on the frontier. Ironically most of the farms failed due to the difficult terrain, forcing the British settlers to encroach on African land in order to practice

pastoralism Pastoralism is a form of animal husbandry where domesticated animals (known as " livestock") are released onto large vegetated outdoor lands ( pastures) for grazing, historically by nomadic people who moved around with their herds. The ani ...

. About a fifth of the Cape's original Dutch-speaking white population migrated eastwards during the Great Trek in the 1830s and established their own autonomous Boer republics further inland. Nevertheless, the population of white ancestry (mostly European origin) continued increasing in the Cape as a result of settlement, and by 1865 had reached 181,592 people. Between 1880 and 1910, there was an influx of

(mainly via Lithuania) and immigrants from

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...

and Syria arriving in South Africa. Recent immigrants from the Levant region of Western Asia were originally classified as Asian, and thus "non-white", but, in order to have the right to purchase land, they successfully argued that they were "white". The main reason being that they were from the lands where

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesu ...

and

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...

originated from, and that the race laws did not target Jews, who were also a

Semitic people Semites, Semitic peoples or Semitic cultures is an obsolete term for an ethnic, cultural or racial group. Afrikaner Commandos2

The first nationwide census in South Africa was held in 1911 and indicated a white population of 1,276,242. By 1936, there were an estimated 2,003,857 white South Africans, and by 1946 the number had reached 2,372,690. The country began receiving tens of thousands of European immigrants, namely from

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

the Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Nether ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wit ...

, and the territories of the

Portuguese Empire The Portuguese Empire ( pt, Império Português), also known as the Portuguese Overseas (''Ultramar Português'') or the Portuguese Colonial Empire (''Império Colonial Português''), was composed of the overseas colonies, factories, and the ...

during the mid- to late twentieth century. South Africa's white population increased to over 3,408,000 by 1965, reached 4,050,000 in 1973, and peaked at 5,044,000 in 1990. The number of white South Africans resident in their home country began gradually declining between 1990 and the mid-2000s as a result of increased emigration. Whites continue to play a role in the

South African economy The Economy of South Africa is the List of countries by GDP (nominal), third largest in Africa and the most industrialized, technologically advanced, and diversified economy in Africa overall. South Africa is an upper-middle-income economy, one of ...

and across the political spectrum. The current number of white South Africans is not exactly known, as no recent census has been measured, although the overall percentage of up to 9% of the population represents a decline, both numerically and proportionately, since the country's first non-racial elections in 1994. Just under a million white South Africans are also living as

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...

workers abroad, which forms the majority of South Africa's brain drain.

Apartheid era

Under the Population Registration Act of 1950, each inhabitant of South Africa was classified into one of several different race groups, of which White was one. The Office for Race Classification defined a white person as one who "in appearance is obviously a white person who is generally not accepted as a coloured person; or is generally accepted as a white person and is not in appearance obviously a white person." Many criteria, both physical (e.g. examination of head and body hair) and social (e.g. eating and drinking habits, familiarity with Afrikaans or a

European language Most languages of Europe belong to the Indo-European language family. Out of a total European population of 744 million as of 2018, some 94% are native speakers of an Indo-European language. Within Indo-European, the three largest phyla are Rom ...

) were used when the board decided to classify someone as white or coloured. This was virtually extended to all those considered the children of two white persons, regardless of appearance. The Act was repealed on 17 June 1991.

Post-apartheid era

In an attempt at post-Apartheid redress, the Employment Equity Act of 1994, legislation promotes employment of people ( Black Africans, Indian, Chinese,

Coloured Coloureds ( af, Kleurlinge or , ) refers to members of multiracial ethnic communities in Southern Africa who may have ancestry from more than one of the various populations inhabiting the region, including African, European, and Asian. Sout ...

and

White White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

population groups, as well as disabled people) according to the representation of their racial group as a proportion of the total South African population. Black Economic Empowerment legislation further empowers blacks as the government considers ownership, employment, training and social responsibility initiatives, which empower black South Africans, as important criteria when awarding tenders;

private enterprises The private sector is the part of the economy, sometimes referred to as the citizen sector, which is owned by private groups, usually as a means of establishment for profit or non profit, rather than being owned by the government. Employment The ...

also must adhere to this legislation. Some reports indicate a growing number of whites in poverty compared to the pre-apartheid years and attribute this to such laws – a 2006 article in

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

stated that over 350,000 Afrikaners may be classified as poor, and alluded to research claiming that up to 150,000 were struggling for survival. As a consequence of Apartheid policies, Whites are still widely regarded as being one of 4 defined race groups in South Africa. These groups (blacks, whites, Coloureds and Indians) still tend to have strong racial identities, and to identify themselves, and others, as members of these race groups and the classification continues to persist in government policy due to attempts at redress like Black Economic Empowerment and Employment Equity.

Diaspora and emigration

Since the 1990s, there has been a significant emigration of whites from South Africa. Between 1995 and 2005, more than one million South Africans emigrated, citing violence as the main reason, as well as the lack of employment opportunities for whites.

Current trends

In recent decades, there has been a steady proportional decline in South Africa's white community, due to higher birthrates among other South African ethnic groups, as well as a high rate of emigration. In 1977, there were 4.3 million whites, constituting 16.4% of the population at the time. As of 2016, it is estimated that at least 800,000 white South Africans have emigrated since 1995. Like many other communities strongly affiliated with the West and Europe's colonial legacy in Africa, white South Africans were in the past often economically better off than their black African neighbours and have surrendered political dominance to majority rule. There were also some white Africans in South Africa who lived in poverty—especially during the 1930s and increasingly since the end of minority rule. Current estimates of white poverty in South Africa run as high as 12%, though fact-checking website Africa Check described these figures as "grossly inflated" and suggested that a more accurate estimate was that "only a tiny fraction of the white population – as few as 7,754 households – are affected." Lara Logan in Iraq

The new phenomenon of white poverty is mostly blamed on the government's affirmative action employment legislation, which reserves 80% of new jobs for black people and favours companies owned by black people (see Black Economic Empowerment). In 2010,

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was est ...

stated that 450,000 whites live below the poverty line according to Solidarity and civil organisations, with some research saying that up to 150,000 are struggling for survival. However, the proportion of white South Africans living in poverty is still much lower than for other groups in the country, since approximately 50% of the general population fall below the upper-bound

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

. A further concern has been crime. Some white South Africans living in affluent white suburbs, such as Sandton, have been affected by the 2008 13.5% rise in house robberies and associated crime. In a study, Johan Burger, senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), said that criminals were specifically targeting wealthier suburbs. Burger explained that several affluent suburbs are surrounded by poorer residential areas and that inhabitants in the latter often target inhabitants in the former. The report also found that residents in wealthy suburbs in Gauteng were not only at more risk of being targeted but also faced an inflated chance of being murdered during the robbery. The global financial crisis slowed the high rates of white people emigrating overseas and has led to increasing numbers of white emigrants returning to live in South Africa. Charles Luyckx, CEO of Elliot International and a board member of the Professional Movers Association, stated in December 2008 that emigration numbers had dropped by 10% in the six months prior. Meanwhile, "people imports" had increased by 50%. Fokofpolisiekar at Park Acoustics

In May 2014, Homecoming Revolution estimated that around 340,000 white South Africans had returned to South Africa in the preceding decade. Furthermore, immigration from Europe has also supplemented the white population. The 2011 census found that 63,479 white people living in South Africa were born in Europe; of these, 28,653 had moved to South Africa since 2001. At the end of apartheid in 1994, 85% of South Africa's

arable land Arable land (from the la, arabilis, "able to be ploughed") is any land capable of being ploughed and used to grow crops.''Oxford English Dictionary'', "arable, ''adj''. and ''n.''" Oxford University Press (Oxford), 2013. Alternatively, for th ...

was owned by whites. The land reform program introduced after the end of apartheid intended that, within 20 years, 30% of white-owned commercial farm land should be transferred to black owners. Thus, in 2011, the farmers' association, Agri South Africa, coordinated efforts to resettle farmers throughout the African continent. The initiative offered millions of hectares from 22 African countries that hoped to spur development of efficient commercial farming. The 30 percent target was not close to being met by the 2014 deadline. According to a 2017 government audit, 72% of the nation's private farmland is owned by white people. In February 2018, the

Parliament of South Africa The Parliament of the Republic of South Africa is South Africa's legislature; under the present Constitution of South Africa, the bicameral Parliament comprises a National Assembly and a National Council of Provinces. The current twenty-s ...

passed a motion to review the property ownership clause of the constitution, to allow for the expropriation of land, in the public interest, without compensation, which was supported within South Africa's ruling

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a social-democratic political party in South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when the first post-apartheid election install ...

on the grounds that the land was originally seized by whites without just compensation. In August 2018, the South African government began the process of taking two white-owned farmlands. Western Cape ANC secretary

Faiez Jacobs Faiez Jacobs (born 12 January 1973) is a South African politician who serves as a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa for the ruling African National Congress (ANC). He took office as an MP on 22 May 2019. Jacobs was the Secretary of ...

referred to the property clause amendment as a "stick" to force dialogue about the transfer of land ownership, with the hope of accomplishing the transfer "in a way that is orderly and doesn't create a 'them' and 'us' ituation"

Demographics

South Africa 2011 White population proportion map

The Statistics South Africa Census 2011 showed that there were about 4,586,838 white people in South Africa, amounting to 8.9% of the country's population. This was a 6.8% increase since the 2001 census. According to the Census 2011, South African English is the

first language A first language, native tongue, native language, mother tongue or L1 is the first language or dialect that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tong ...

of 36% of the white population group and Afrikaans is the first language of 61% of the white population group. The majority of white South Africans identify themselves as primarily ''South African'', regardless of their first language or ancestry.

Religion

Approximately 87% of white South Africans are Christian, 9% are irreligious, and 1% are

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

. The largest Christian denomination is the

Dutch Reformed Church The Dutch Reformed Church (, abbreviated NHK) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the original denomination of the Dutch Royal Family a ...

(NGK), with 23% of the white population being members. Other significant denominations are the Methodist Church (8%), the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

(7%), and the Anglican Church (6%).

Migrations

Many white Africans of European ancestry have migrated to South Africa from other parts of the continent due to political or economic turmoil in their respective homelands. Thousands of Portuguese Mozambicans, Portuguese Angolans, and white Zimbabweans emigrated to South Africa during the 1970s and 1980s. However, the overwhelming majority of European migration correlated with the historic colonization of the region (some migrating for the purpose of extraction of resources, minerals and other lucrative elements found in South Africa, others for a better life and farming opportunities without many restrictions in newly colonised lands). Meanwhile, many white South Africans have also emigrated to Western countries over the past two decades, mainly to English-speaking countries such as the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, Australia and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

. However, the financial crisis has slowed the rate of emigration and in May 2014, the Homecoming Revolution estimated that around 340,000 white South Africans had returned in the preceding decade.

Distribution

South Africa 2011 White population density map

According to Statistics South Africa, white South Africans make up 8.9% (Census 2011) of the total population in South Africa. Their actual proportional share in municipalities is likely to be higher, given the undercount in the 2001 census. The following table shows the distribution of white people by

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...

, according to the 2011 census:

Politics

Charles Bell - Jan van Riebeeck se aankoms aan die Kaap

White South Africans continue to participate in politics, having a presence across the whole

political spectrum A political spectrum is a system to characterize and classify different political positions in relation to one another. These positions sit upon one or more geometric axes that represent independent political dimensions. The expressions polit ...

from left to right. Cape Town cannabis march 2015 May 9

Former South African President

Jacob Zuma Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (; born 12 April 1942) is a South African politician who served as the fourth president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan name Msholozi, and was a former anti-apart ...

commented in 2009 on Afrikaners being "the only white tribe in a black continent or outside of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

which is truly African", and said that "of all the white groups that are in South Africa, it is only the Afrikaners that are truly South Africans in the true sense of the word''.''" These remarks have led to the

Centre for Constitutional Rights The Center for Constitutional RightsThe Center for Constitutional Rights
(CCR) is a

(CCR) laying a complaint with the Human Rights Commission against Zuma. According to the CCR's spokesman, Zuma's remarks constituted "unfair discrimination against non-Afrikaans-speaking, white South Africans....." In 2015, a complaint was investigated for hate speech against Jacob Zuma who said "You must remember that a man called Jan van Riebeeck arrived here on 6 April 1652, and that was the start of the trouble in this country." Former South African President Thabo Mbeki stated in one of his speeches to the nation that: "South Africa belongs to everyone who lives in it. Black and White." Prior to 1994, a white minority held complete political power under a system of racial segregation called

. During

, immigrants from

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northe ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

, and Japan were considered '' honorary whites'' in the country, as the government had maintained diplomatic relations with these countries. These were granted the same privileges as white people, at least for purposes of residence. Some African Americans such as Max Yergan were granted an "honorary white" status as well.

Statistics

Historical population

Statistics for the white population in South Africa vary greatly. Most sources show that the white population peaked in the period between 1989 and 1995 at around 5.2 to 5.6 million. Up to that point, the white population largely increased due to high birth rates and immigration. Subsequently, between the mid-1990s and the mid-2000s, the white population decreased overall. However, from 2006 to 2013, the white population increased.

Fertility rates

Contraception among white South Africans is stable or slightly falling: 80% used contraception in 1990, and 79% used it in 1998. The following data shows some

fertility rates The total fertility rate (TFR) of a population is the average number of children that would be born to a woman over her lifetime if: # she were to experience the exact current age-specific fertility rates (ASFRs) through her lifetime # she were t ...

recorded during South Africa's history. However, there are varied sources showing that the white fertility rate reached below replacement (2.1) by 1980. Likewise, recent studies show a range of fertility rates, ranging from 1.3 to 2.4. The Afrikaners tend to have a higher birthrate than that of other white people.

Life expectancy

The average life expectancy at birth for males and females

Unemployment

Income

Average annual household income by population group of the household head.

Percentage of workforce

Languages

Religion

Religion among white South Africans remains high compared to other white ethnic groups, but likewise it has shown a steady proportional drop in both membership and church attendance with until recently the majority of white South Africans attending regular church services.

Notable White South Africans

Science and technology

* Christiaan Barnard, surgeon who performed first successful human heart transplant * Mike Botha,

diamond cutter Diamond cutting is the practice of shaping a diamond from a rough stone into a faceted gem. Cutting diamonds requires specialized knowledge, tools, equipment, and techniques because of its extreme difficulty. The first guild of diamond cutters and ...

and educator; Yves Landry Award for Outstanding Innovation in Education, Canada * Peter Sarnak, Princeton's Eugene Higgins professor of mathematics, specialising in

number theory Number theory (or arithmetic or higher arithmetic in older usage) is a branch of pure mathematics devoted primarily to the study of the integers and integer-valued functions. German mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777–1855) said, "Math ...

* Stanley Skewes, mathematician whose work in number theory produced the record breaking

Skewes number In number theory, Skewes's number is any of several large numbers used by the South African mathematician Stanley Skewes as upper bounds for the smallest natural number x for which :\pi(x) > \operatorname(x), where is the prime-counting function ...

* Percy Deift, mathematician specialising in analysis * Sydney Brenner,

biologist A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology. Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual cell, a multicellular organism, or a community of interacting populations. They usually speciali ...

; Nobel Prize, Physiology/Medicine 2002 * Michael Levitt, biophysicist; Nobel Prize, Chemistry 2013 * Allan McLeod Cormack,

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate ca ...

; Nobel Prize, Medicine 1979 * Gordon Murray, designer of Formula One race cars, including the Championship winning McLaren MP4/4 and the ultra-exclusive McLaren F1 Roadcar *

Elon Musk Elon Reeve Musk ( ; born June 28, 1971) is a business magnate and investor. He is the founder, CEO and chief engineer of SpaceX; angel investor, CEO and product architect of Tesla, Inc.; owner and CEO of Twitter, Inc.; founder of The ...

, entrepreneur and engineer: SpaceX, Tesla Motors, and PayPal; wealthiest person in the world as of August 2022 * Basil Schonland, physicist * Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Ubuntu, a

Linux Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which i ...

based computer

Operating system An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common daemon (computing), services for computer programs. Time-sharing operating systems scheduler (computing), schedule tasks for ef ...

; first African in

space Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually con ...

* Neil Turok, cosmologist * George F. R. Ellis, cosmologist *

Max Theiler Max Theiler (30 January 1899 – 11 August 1972) was a South African-American virologist and physician. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1951 for developing a vaccine against yellow fever in 1937, becoming the firs ...

, virologist; Nobel Prize, Medicine 1951 * Phillip Tobias, palaeo-anthropologist * Seymour Papert, pioneer of

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machine A machine is a physical system using Power (physics), power to apply Force, forces and control Motion, moveme ...

Military

* Flight Lieutenant Andrew Beauchamp-Proctor VC, DSO, MC and

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (un ...

, DFC fighter ace,

1st World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

* Major William Bloomfield VC, South African East African campaign, 1st World War * Captain

William Faulds William Frederick Faulds (19 February 1895 – 16 February 1950) was a South African Forces, South African soldier, and recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be aw ...

VC MC,

Delville Wood The Battle of Delville Wood was a series of engagements in the 1916 Battle of the Somme in the First World War, between the armies of the German Empire and the British Empire. Delville Wood , was a thick tangle of trees, chiefly beech an ...

, 1st World War * Major John Frost DFC,

South African Air Force "Through hardships to the stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , equipment ...

fighter ace during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

* Lieutenant Colonel Reginald Frederick Johnson Hayward VC,

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers *Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a majo ...

, 1st World War * Captain Petrus Hugo DSO DFC, fighter ace, Second World War * Squadron Leader

Albert Gerald Lewis Albert Gerald Lewis, (10 April 1918 – 14 December 1982) was a South African fighter pilot and fighter ace who scored an ace in a day during the Battle of Britain, later being featured in a ''Life'' magazine article about the Battle of Britain. ...

DFC, South African fighter ace, 2nd World War * Adolph "Sailor" Malan, Second World War ace fighter pilot * Squadron Leader John Dering Nettleton VC, Battle of Britain * Major

Oswald Reid Oswald Austin Reid VC (2 November 1893––27 October 1920) was a South African recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth ...

VC, 1st World War * Captain

Clement Robertson Clement Robertson (15 December 1890 – 4 October 1917) was a Colony of Natal-born, recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth for ...

VC, Western Front * Lieutenant Colonel

John Sherwood-Kelly John Sherwood Kelly (13 January 1880 – 18 August 1931) was a South African recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces ...

VC CMG DSO,

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...

, Bambatha Rebellion, 1st World War * Captain Quentin Smythe VC, North Africa 2nd World War * Major Edwin Swales VC DFC, pilot during the

* Lieutenant Kevin Winterbottom HC, South African Air Force * Staff Sergeant Danny Roxo HC, 32 Battalion,

South African Army The South African Army is the principal land warfare force of South Africa, a part of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), along with the South African Air Force, South African Navy and South African Military Health Service. ...

* General Constand Viljoen SSA SD

SOE SOE may refer to: Organizations * State-owned enterprise * Special Operations Executive, a British World War II clandestine sabotage and resistance organisation ** Special Operations Executive in the Netherlands, or Englandspiel * Society of Opera ...

SM MMM MP, former South African military chief and former leader of the Freedom Front Plus *Air Vice Marshal

John Frederick George Howe Air Vice Marshal John Frederick George Howe, (26 March 1930 – 27 January 2016) was a senior Royal Air Force officer in the 1970s and 1980s. He flew combat missions in the Korean War and North Sea interceptor air patrols during the Cold War, fi ...

, CB, CBE,

AFC AFC may stand for: Organizations * Action for Children, a UK children's charity * AFC Enterprises, the franchisor of Popeye's Chicken and Biscuits * Africa Finance Corporation, a pan-African multilateral development finance institution * A ...

(26 March 1930 – 27 January 2016)

Royalty and aristocracy

* Charlene, Princess of Monaco * Bruce Murray, 12th Duke of Atholl

Arts and media

* Jani Allan, columnist and radio commentator * Melinda Bam,

Miss South Africa 2011 Miss South Africa 2011 was held on 11 December 2011 in Sun City, South Africa. The winner will represent South Africa at Miss Universe 2012 and Miss World 2011. 12 contestants competed for the crown. Melinda Bam was crowned Miss South Africa 2011 ...

* Joyce Barker, opera singer - soprano * David Benatar, philosopher, academic and author *

Carl Beukes Carl Beukes (born 3 October 1976) is a South African actor best known for his roles as Paul McPherson in '' Isidingo'' and as the archangel Gabriel in ''Dominion''. Beukes is a graduate of The National School of the Arts, where he studied Spee ...

, actor * David Bateson, voice actor in the '' Hitman'' video game series *

Bok van Blerk Bok van Blerk (born Louis Andreas Pepler; 30 March 1978) is a South African singer-songwriter who sings in Afrikaans. He became famous in 2006 for his rendition of "De la Rey" by Sean Else and Johan Vorster.Tanya de Vente (Vrouekeur) "Bok van B ...

, singer * Neill Blomkamp, director * Herman Charles Bosman, writer *

Johan Botha Johan Botha may refer to: * Johan Botha (athlete) (born 1974), South African middle distance runner * Johan Botha (cricketer) (born 1982), South African born Australian cricketer * Johan Botha (tenor) Johan Botha (19 August 1965 – 8 Septe ...

, opera singer - tenor * Breyten Breytenbach, writer and painter * Andre Brink, novelist * Johnny Clegg, musician noted for performing in Juluka and Savuka * Penelope Coelen, Miss World 1958 * Mimi Coertse, soprano - opera singer * J. M. Coetzee, novelist; Nobel Prize, Literature 2003 *

Megan Coleman Megan Kate Coleman is a South African beauty queen who represented South Africa in Miss Universe 2007 in Mexico and Miss World 2007 in China. She was Miss South Africa Miss South Africa is a national beauty pageant in South Africa that s ...

, Miss South Africa 2006 *

Elizabeth Connell Frances Elizabeth Connell (22 October 194618 February 2012) was a South African-born operatic mezzo-soprano, and later soprano, whose career took place mainly in the United Kingdom and Australia. Connell was born in Port Elizabeth, South Afri ...

, opera singer - mezzo soprano, soprano * Sharlto Copley, actor * John Cranko, ballet dancer and choreographer * Robyn Curnow, CNN International's anchor *

Riaan Cruywagen Riaan Cruywagen (born 5 October 1945) is a South African television news reader and voice artist who has been associated with the South African Broadcasting Corporation since its first television broadcasts in 1975. Cruywagen continued to presen ...

, South African International News anchor, TV presenter and voice artist *

Frederick Dalberg Frederick Dalberg (7 January 1907 – 9 May 1988) was an English-born South African opera bass. As an ensemble member of the Leipzig Opera, Bavarian State Opera, Covent Garden and Mannheim National Theatre, he excelled in German romantic operas ...

, opera singer - bass *

Embeth Davidtz Embeth Jean Davidtz (born August 11, 1965) is an American-South African actress. Her screen roles include movies such as ''Army of Darkness'', ''Schindler's List, '' ''Matilda'', ''Mansfield Park'', ''Bicentennial Man'', ''Fallen,'' '' Junebug,' ...

, actress, South African-American, born to South African parents in

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

* Kurt Darren, singer * Theuns Jordaan, South African singer *

Izak Davel Izak Davel (born 1 July 1983 in South Africa) is a South African actor, singer, dancer and male model. He matriculated at the Lady Grey Arts Academy in 2001 after which he proceeded to study dance at the Tshwane University of Technology and fin ...

, actor, dancer, singer and model * André Lötter, actor, emcee/ anchor & speaker * Die Antwoord, band; rap-rave group formed in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second larges ...

* Collette Dinnigan, South African born fashion designer. * Kim Engelbrecht, actress * Elisabeth Eybers, poet * Duncan Faure, singer-songwriter and musician * Nicole Flint, Miss South Africa 2008 * Athol Fugard, playwright *

Edwin Gagiano Edwin Gagiano (born June 1, 1989) is a South African-born actor, screenwriter, producer, singer/songwriter and model based in Los Angeles, California. He is regarded as one of South Africa’s highest-earning actors by The New Age and has won s ...

, South African-born actor, model, filmmaker, singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles. * Dean Geyer, actor and singer * Goldfish, electronic duo originating from Cape Town. * Nadine Gordimer, writer; Nobel Prize, Literature 1991 *

Stefans Grové Stefans Grové (23 July 1922 – 29 May 2014) was a South African composer. Before his death the following assessment was made of him: "He is regarded by many as Africa's greatest living composer, possesses one of the most distinctive composit ...

, composer and writer * Cariba Heine, actress * François Henning, singer * Sonja Herholdt, recording artist * Jacques Imbrailo, opera singer - baritone * Sid James, actor, '' Carry On'' team * Trevor Jones, composer * Ingrid Jonker, poet * John Joubert, composer * Peter Klatzow, composer * Gé Korsten, opera singer - tenor, actor * Alice Krige, actress * Antjie Krog, writer *

Kongos Kongos may refer to: *Kongo people The Kongo people ( kg, Bisi Kongo, , singular: ; also , singular: ) are a Bantu ethnic group primarily defined as the speakers of Kikongo. Subgroups include the Beembe, Bwende, Vili, Sundi, Yombe, Dondo, ...

; rock band * Caspar Lee, YouTuber, actor * Josh Pieters, Youtuber * Locnville, electro hop music duo *

Lara Logan Lara Logan (born 29 March 1971) is a South African television and radio journalist and war correspondent. Logan's career began in South Africa with various news organizations in the 1990s. Her profile rose due to reporting around the American ...

, journalist and war correspondent *

Eugène Nielen Marais Eugene is a common male given name that comes from the Greek εὐγενής (''eugenēs''), "noble", literally "well-born", from εὖ (''eu''), "well" and γένος (''genos''), "race, stock, kin".Monica Mason, ballet dancer and director of the Royal Ballet *

Dalene Matthee Dalene Matthee (13 October 1938 – 20 February 2005) was a South African author best known for her four "Forest Novels", written in and around the Knysna Forest. Her books have been translated into fourteen languages, including English, Fren ...

, writer * Dave Matthews,

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

-winning singer-songwriter * Deon Meyer, writer * Shaun Morgan, singer and guitarist for the rock band Seether * Marita Napier, opera singer - soprano *

Anton Nel Anton Nel (born December 29, 1961) is a South African classical pianist. Biography Nel was born to Afrikaans-speaking parents in Johannesburg, South Africa. Nel made his debut at the age of twelve with Beethoven's C Major Concerto after only ...

, pianist * Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, Miss Universe 2017 *

The Parlotones The Parlotones are a South African indie rock band from Johannesburg. Formed in 1998, the group consists of Kahn Morbee (vocals and rhythm guitar), Paul Hodgson (lead guitar), Glen Hodgson (bass guitar, keyboards, and backing vocals), and Neil ...

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

band from

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a Megacity#List of megacities, megacity, and is List of urban areas by p ...

* Alan Paton, writer * Graham Payn, actor, singer * Madelaine Petsch, actress, model, YouTuber * Sasha Pieterse, actress in the hit ABC family series '' Pretty Little Liars'' * Brendan Peyper, singer * Tanit Phoenix, actress, fashion model * Hubert du Plessis, composer * William Plomer, novelist, poet and literary editor *Sir Laurens van der Post, controversial author, conservationist, explorer, journalist and confidant to The Prince of Wales *

Behati Prinsloo Behati Prinsloo ( , ; born 16 May 1988) is a Namibian model. In 2008, she became a Pink contract model, and moved on to become a Victoria's Secret Angel in 2009. She walked in ten Victoria's Secret Fashion Shows (2007–2015; 2018), and opened c ...

, model * Trevor Rabin, musician and composer, member of the rock band

Yes Yes or YES may refer to: * An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no Education * YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US * YES (Your Extraordinary Saturday), a learning program from the Minnesota Institute for Talente ...

* Basil Rathbone, actor * J. R. Rotem, productor, songwriter and music publisher * Neil Sandilands, actor, director and cinematographer *

Stelio Savante Stelio Savante is a South African American actor, filmmaker and producer best known for his roles as a South African journalist and undercover Mossad agent opposite Jim Caviezel and Claudia Karvan in the political thriller ''Infidel'', a Portu ...

American Movie Award-winning and SAG-nominated actor * Olive Schreiner, South African writer, remembered for her novel '' The Story of an African Farm'' (1883). * Leon Schuster, comedian, filmmaker, actor, presenter and singer * Sir Antony Sher, actor * Troye Sivan, YouTuber, singer (half Australian) *

Cliff Simon Cliff Simon (7 September 1962 – 9 March 2021) was a South African athlete and actor, best known for his portrayal of Ba'al in ''Stargate SG-1''. Early life Simon was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, the fourth child of Emmanuelle and Phylis ...

, actor and athlete * Phyllis Spira, ballerina, Prima Ballerina Assoluta *

Winston Sterzel Winston Frederick Sterzel, also known by his YouTube pseudonym SerpentZA, is a South African vlogger and video producer. He lived in Shenzhen in the Guangdong province of China for fourteen years. His videos cover a variety of topics relating to ...

, YouTuber, first China vlogger and cofounder of ADVChina *

Gerhard Steyn Gerhard Pieter Steyn (born November 27, 1976) is a South African Afrikaans singer, songwriter and guitarist. Gerhard made his debut in 2000 performing alongside Lianne Heyl, better known as Boeboe. Thereafter he formed part of the duo Windpomp wi ...

, singer * Miriam Stockley, singer * Rolene Strauss, Miss World 2014 * Tammin Sursok, actress, born in South Africa, but raised in Australia * Candice Swanepoel, model. * Esta TerBlanche, actress and model * Charlize Theron,

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment in ...

-winning actor * ZP Theart, former singer for the British power metal band DragonForce, former singer for the American rock band Skid Row and singer for the British heavy metal band

I Am I "I Am I" is a song by progressive metal band Queensrÿche appearing on their 1994 album ''Promised Land''. Chart performance Track listing Personnel * Geoff Tate - vocals *Michael Wilton - lead guitar * Chris DeGarmo - rhythm guitar, cel ...

* Elize du Toit, actress * Jakob Daniël du Toit, poet * Pieter-Dirk Uys, performer and satirist, creator of ''Evita Bezuidenhout'' * Musetta Vander, actress * Kevin Volans, composer and pianist * Arnold Vosloo, actor *

Casper de Vries Casper Johannes De Vries (; born 1 June 1964) is a South African actor, comedian, entertainer, painter, composer, director and producer. He has gained a significant following among South Africa's liberal Afrikaner and Afrikaans speaking popula ...

, comedian * Justine Waddell, actress * Deon van der Walt, opera singer - tenor * Kyle Watson, record producer and DJ. *

Amira Willighagen Amira Willighagen (born 27 March 2004) is a Dutch soprano singer who won the sixth season of '' Holland's Got Talent'' in 2013, at the age of nine. Early life Amira Willighagen speaks both Dutch and Afrikaans because she was born to a Dutch ...

, soprano and philanthropist *

Arnold van Wyk Arnoldus Christiaan Vlok van Wyk (26 April 1916 – 27 March 1983) was a South African art music composer, one of the first notable generation of such composers along with Hubert du Plessis and Stefans Grové. Despite the strict laws impose ...

, composer * N. P. van Wyk Louw, poet * Jean-Philip Grobler, South African-born musician and singer from a New York-based Indietronica band

St. Lucia (musician) Jean-Philip Grobler (born 1983), known for his musical project St. Lucia, is a South African singer and musician based in Konstanz, Germany. He is signed to Nettwerk Records and to date has released four albums: '' When the Night'' (2013), ''Mat ...

Business

Etienne de Villiers Etienne de Villiers is an investor and executive in global media and sports businesses. He is chairman of DataEQ, a leading South African opinion mining company. His former roles include executive chairman of the ATP Tour, president at Walt Dis ...

, investor; media and sports executive * Ivan Glasenberg, CEO of Glencore Xstrata, one of the world's largest commodity trading and mining companies * Sol Kerzner, accountant and business magnate mainly in the casino resort sector * Harry Oppenheimer, chairman of Anglo American Corporation for 25 years and De Beers Consolidated Mines for 27 years * Nicky Oppenheimer, chairman of the De Beers diamond mining company and its subsidiary, the Diamond Trading Company * Anton Rupert, founder of the Rembrandt Group * Johann Rupert, chairman of the Swiss-based luxury-goods company Richemont and South Africa-based company Remgro *

Desmond Sacco Desmond Sacco is a South African businessman. He serves as Chairman and Managing Director of Assore Limited (). Early life Desmond Sacco was born in Johannesburg, South Africa.Bruce CairncrossThe Mineral Collection of Desmond Sacco, Johannesbur ...

, Chairman and managing director of Assore Limited * Christo Wiese, consumer Retail business magnate

Politics

* Louis Botha, farmer, soldier, statesman; first Prime Minister of South Africa * P. W. Botha, former State President of South Africa *

F. W. de Klerk Frederik Willem de Klerk (, , 18 March 1936 – 11 November 2021) was a South African politician who served as state president of South Africa from 1989 to 1994 and as deputy president from 1994 to 1996 in the democratic government. As South A ...

, former State President of South Africa * Marike de Klerk, former First Lady of South Africa, murdered in her home in 2001 *

Sir Patrick Duncan Sir Patrick Duncan, (21 December 1870 – 17 July 1943) was the sixth Governor-General of the Union of South Africa, holding office from 1937 until his death in 1943. Early life Born in Scotland in 1870, he took degrees in classics at the Univ ...

Governor-General at the start of the

* Ruth First, anti-apartheid activist and scholar * Sir James Percy FitzPatrick, author, politician and businessman *

Derek Hanekom Derek Andre Hanekom (born 13 January 1953) is a South African politician, activist and former cabinet minister. He is currently serving as a presidential envoy for South Africa mandated to promote investment with a focus on tourism. He was pre ...

, Deputy Minister of Technology; prominent ANC member of Parliament * Nicholas Haysom, Former legal adviser to

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid activist who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the ...

, former United Nations Special Representative to

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bord ...

* Geordin Hill-Lewis, Mayor of Cape Town * Sandra Laing, white girl reclassified as "Coloured" during the apartheid era *

D. F. Malan Daniël François Malan (; 22 May 1874 – 7 February 1959) was a South African politician who served as the fourth prime minister of South Africa from 1948 to 1954. The National Party implemented the system of apartheid, which enforc ...

, former Prime Minister of South Africa * Pieter Mulder, former Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries; leader of the Freedom Front Plus * Andries Pretorius, former leader of the Voortrekkers who was instrumental in the creation of the

South African Republic The South African Republic ( nl, Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek, abbreviated ZAR; af, Suid-Afrikaanse Republiek), also known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer Republic in Southern Africa which existed from 1852 to 1902, when i ...

* Harry Schwarz, lawyer, politician, diplomat and anti-apartheid leader * Joe Slovo, former leader of the South African Communist Party played key part in constitutional negotiations in the 1990s *

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered a ...

Jan Smuts, soldier, politician and former Prime Minister of South Africa during both World Wars. Only person to sign both world War peace treaties on the winning side. * Jan Steytler, first leader of Progressive Party of South Africa, former MP * Helen Suzman, anti-apartheid activist and former MP, solo anti-apartheid parliamentarian from 1961 to 1974 representing Progressive Party (South Africa), served on first Independent Electoral Commission supervising first non-racial national elections in South Africa * Colin Eglin, former leader of the Progressive Party (South Africa) and its successors and former MP, played key role in building up parliamentary opposition to apartheid in the 1970s and 1980s, and in constitutional negotiations in the 1990s * Zach de Beer, former Progressive Party (South Africa) MP, subsequent leader of

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

and post-apartheid ambassador to The Netherlands, also played key part in constitutional negotiations in the 1990s * Rick Crouch, City Councillor in the

eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality is a metropolitan municipality created in 2000, that includes the city of Durban, South Africa and surrounding towns. eThekwini is one of the 11 districts of KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. The maj ...

Eugène Terre'Blanche Eugène Ney Terre'Blanche (, 31 January 1941Terre'Blanche's year of birth is alternately given as 1941 or 1944. The majority of sources indicates 1941; sources that claim 1944 as his year of birth includ''The Star''Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging; murdered * Marthinus van Schalkwyk, previous Minister of Tourism and ANC member of Parliament; played a key role in merging the National Party into the ANC * Hendrik Verwoerd, former Prime Minister of South Africa; primary architect of

Apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

; assassinated in

, in the House of Assembly * Helen Zille, former leader of the Democratic Alliance and Premier of the Western Cape

Sport

Andrew Surman Andrew Ronald Edward Surman (born 20 August 1986) is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He made over 100 appearances for both Southampton and AFC Bournemouth. Surman also played for Wolverhampton Wanderers, Walsa ...

* Willem Alberts, professional rugby player * Kevin Anderson, professional tennis player * Clive Barker, former footballer and football coach, led the South Africa national football team to victory in the 1996 African Cup of Nations * Matthew Booth, former footballer * Francois Botha, professional boxer * Michael Botha, professional rugby player * Mark Boucher, former professional cricketer *

Vincent Breet Vincent Breet (born 26 April 1993) is a South African competitive rower. He competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the sa ...

, rower * Okkert Brits, former pole vaulter, holds the African record and only African in the "

6 metres club Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the Myc ...

" * Schalk Brits, professional rugby player * Zola Budd, former

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

runner, broke the world record in the women's

5000 m The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a stand ...

twice in under three years * Schalk Burger, former professional rugby player * Jan-Henning Campher, rugby player * Bradley Carnell, former footballer * Gerrie Coetzee, former boxer, first boxer from Africa to win a world heavyweight title *

Tony Coyle Tony Coyle (born 29 October 1976) is a retired South African footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American foo ...

, former footballer * Hansie Cronje, professional cricketer * Lood de Jager, professional rugby player *

Faf de Klerk Francois "Faf" de Klerk (born 19 October 1991) is a South African professional rugby union player who plays scrum-half for Japan Rugby League One club Yokohama Canon Eagles and the South Africa national team. He was a member of the South Afri ...

, professional rugby player *

Quinton de Kock Quinton de Kock (born 17 December 1992) is a South African cricketer and former captain of the Proteas in all three formats. He currently plays for South Africa in limited overs cricket, Titans at the domestic level, and Lucknow Super Gian ...

, professional cricketer *

Roger De Sá Rogério Paulo Cesar de Sá (born on 1 October 1964) is a South African soccer manager and former player who played as a goalkeeper. De Sá is also one of the handful of South Africans who have represented their country in three different spor ...

, former footballer * AB de Villiers, professional batsman * Giniel de Villiers, racing driver and winner of the 2009 Dakar Rally * Jean de Villiers, former professional rugby player *

Allan Donald Allan Anthony Donald (born 20 October 1966) is a South African former cricketer who is also the current bowling coach of Bangladesh national cricket team. Often nicknamed 'White Lightning' due to his lightning quick bowling, he is considered ...

, professional cricketer * Faf du Plessis, professional cricketer * Natalie du Toit, paralympian swimmer * Pieter-Steph du Toit, professional rugby player * Thomas du Toit, professional rugby player * Ernie Els, professional golfer, former World No. 1 and winner of four Majors * Eben Etzebeth, professional rugby player * Brett Evans, former footballer and current football coach * Paul Evans, former footballer *

Rowen Fernández Rowen Fernández (born 28 February 1978) is a South African former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Club career Kaizer Chiefs Following a great season with ''The Students'', Fernández was signed by Kaizer Chiefs from W ...

, former footballer * Lyndon Ferns, former swimmer and gold medallist in the 4x100m freestyle relay at the 2004 Summer Olympics * Wayne Ferreira, former tennis player * Mark Fish, former footballer *

Dean Furman Dean Furman (born 22 June 1988) is a South African professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for English side Warrington Rylands 1906. He has previously played for Scottish Premiership side Rangers, English League Two side Bradford ...

, footballer, captain of South African team * Retief Goosen, professional golfer, twice US Open champion * Penny Heyns, former swimmer, the only woman in the history of the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a multi ...

to have won both the 100 m and 200 m breaststroke events, at the 1996 Summer Olympics *

Pierre Issa Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

, former footballer *

Liam Jordan Liam Jonathan Jordan (born 30 July 1998) is a South African professional footballer who plays for Swedish Allsvenskan side IF Brommapojkarna and the South Africa national team. Club career Jordan made his professional debut on 17 March 2015 a ...

, footballer * Steven Kitshoff, professional rugby player * Vincent Koch, professional rugby player * Johan Kriek, former professional tennis player and winner of the 1981 Australian Open * Jesse Kriel, professional rugby player * Patrick Lambie, former professional rugby player * Grant Langston, former professional motocross rider who competed in Europe and the US * Chad le Clos, swimmer and gold medalist in the 200m

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprises ...

at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London * Raymond Leppan,

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

, formerly signed with World Wrestling Entertainment performing under the name "Adam Rose" *

Paul Lloyd Jr. Phillip Paul Lloyd (born 3 March 1981) is a South African-American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE, under the ring name Justin Gabriel. He is currently wrestling under the ring name P. J. Black. A second-generation w ...

, professional wrestler, formerly signed with World Wrestling Entertainment where he performed under the name Justin Gabriel *

Francois Louw Francois Louw (born 15 June 1985) is a South African former professional rugby union player. A flanker, he played for , the Stormers and English club . He won 76 international caps for South Africa, and was part of the team that won the 2019 R ...

, professional rugby player * Calvin Marlin, former footballer * Malcolm Marx, professional rugby player * Victor Matfield, former professional rugby player * Hank McGregor, surf skier and kayak marathon champion * Elana Meyer, former long-distance runner, set 15 km road running and half marathon African records * Percy Montgomery, former rugby union player and current record holder for both caps and points for the Springboks * Albie Morkel, cricketer * Morne Morkel, cricketer * Franco Mostert, professional rugby player *

Karen Muir Karen Muir (16 September 1952 – 1 April 2013) was a South African competitive swimmer. Born and raised in Kimberley, Northern Cape, Kimberley, she attended the Diamantveld High School, where she matriculated in 1970."Tributes pour in for Kare ...

, former swimmer *

Franco Naudé Franco Johan Naudé (born 28 March 1996) is a South African professional rugby union player for the Lokomotiv Penza in Russian Rugby Championship. His regular position is centre. Rugby career 2013–2014: Schoolboy rugby Naudé was born in P ...

, professional rugby player * Ryk Neethling, former swimmer and gold medallist in the 4x100m freestyle relay at the 2004 Summer Olympics * Ricardo Nunes, footballer * Louis Oosthuizen, professional golfer, winner of

2010 Open Championship The 2010 Open Championship was a men's major golf championship and was held from 15 to 18 July over the Old Course at St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. It was the 150th anniversary of the founding of The Open in 1860, and the 28th time The Open was p ...

* François Pienaar, former captain of the Springboks, leading South Africa to victory in the 1995 Rugby World Cup * Kevin Pietersen, former England international cricketer * Gary Player, professional golfer * Oscar Pistorius, former paralympic athlete; convicted of the murder of his girlfriend * Handré Pollard, professional rugby player * Jacques Potgieter, former professional rugby player * Gary Player, former professional golfer, widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of golf * André Pretorius, former rugby player *

Cobus Reinach Jacobus Meyer Reinach (born 7 February 1990) is a South African professional rugby union player who plays for the Top 14 side Montpellier and South Africa. His playing position is scrum-half and he is the son of former Springbok winger J ...

, professional rugby player * Jonty Rhodes, professional cricketer *

Glen Salmon Glen George Salmon (born 24 December 1977) is a retired South African football forward and current manager of Orlando Pirates' B-team. Career Salmon was born in the Rhodesian capital of Salisbury (now Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe) and grew u ...

, former footballer * Corrie Sanders, in 2003 became the

WBO The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is an organization which sanctions professional boxing bouts. It is recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) as one of the four major world championship groups, alongside the World Boxing ...

heavyweight champion; murdered in 2012 * Jody Scheckter, former

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship ...

auto-racer and winner of 1979 Formula One season *

Louis Schreuder Louis Schreuder (born 25 April 1990) is a South African rugby union player who plays as a scrum-half for Bath in Premiership Rugby. Club career Born and raised in the Western Cape, Schreuder came through the ranks at and made his senior de ...

, professional rugby player * Roland Schoeman, swimmer and gold medallist in the 4x100m freestyle relay at the 2004 Summer Olympics * Charl Schwartzel, professional golfer and winner of the 2011 Masters Tournament *

Dillon Sheppard Dillon Sheppard (born 27 February 1979) is a South African football coach and a former player who played as a left winger. He is an assistant coach of South African team Kaizer Chiefs Kaizer Chiefs Football Club (often known as Chiefs) a ...

, former footballer * Jan Serfontein, professional rugby player *

, former footballer * John Smit, former captain of the Springboks, leading South Africa to victory in the 2007 Rugby World Cup * Graeme Smith, former captain of the Proteas * Kwagga Smith, professional rugby player *

R.G. Snyman Rudolph Gerhardus Snyman (born 29 January 1995) is a South African professional rugby union player who currently plays for the South Africa national team and Irish province Munster in the United Rugby Championship. His regular position is loc ...

, professional rugby player * Dale Steyn, cricket pace bowler * Carla Swart, collegiate cyclist, won nineteen individual and team cycling titles * Eric Tinkler, former footballer * Neil Tovey, former captain of the South Africa national football team, leading the team to victory in the 1996 African Cup of Nations * Darian Townsend, swimmer and gold medallist in the 4x100m freestyle relay at the 2004 Summer Olympics * Andrew Tucker, former footballer * Hans Vonk, former footballer,

's first choice goalkeeper during 1998 Fifa World Cup *

Cameron van der Burgh Cameron van der Burgh OIS (born 25 May 1988) is a retired South African competitive swimmer and hedge fund analyst. He is Africa's first home-trained world record holder and individual male Olympic Champion. He is married to long time partner ...

, swimmer who represented South Africa at the 2008 Summer Olympics and at the 2012 Summer Olympics winning gold at the 100-meter breaststroke in a new world record * Rassie van der Dussen, professional cricketer * Janine van Wyk, footballer and captain of South Africa women's national football team * Duane Vermeulen, professional rugby player *

Douglas Whyte Douglas Whyte (born 15 Nov 1971 in Johannesburg, South Africa) is a former horse racing jockey and is now a horse trainer. He became Hong Kong champion jockey in the 2000-2001 season and won 13 consecutive titles, a record in flat racing. In 2 ...

, horse racing jockey, 13-time Hong Kong champion jockey *

Ivan Winstanley Ivan Rodney Winstanley (born 25 August 1976 in Johannesburg, Gauteng) is a retired South African Association football defender who last played for National First Division club Thanda Royal Zulu. His twin brother is Neil Winstanley. *Year joine ...

, former footballer *

Neil Winstanley Neil Winstanley (born 25 August 1976) is a South African former soccer player who played as a defender. He represented South Africa at the 2004 African Nations Cup The 2004 African Cup of Nations, known as the NOKIA African Cup of Nations, ...

, former footballer

Other

* Mariette Bosch, murderer executed by the government of Botswana in 2001 for the murder of South African Ria Wolmarans * Henri van Breda, murderer who killed his parents and brother in January 2015

References

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Ethnic groups in South Africa

History

Apartheid era

Post-apartheid era

Diaspora and emigration

Current trends

Demographics

Religion

Migrations

Distribution

Politics

Statistics

Historical population

Fertility rates

Life expectancy

Unemployment

Income

Percentage of workforce

Languages

Religion

Notable White South Africans

Science and technology

Military

Royalty and aristocracy

Arts and media

Business

Politics

Sport

Other

See also

References