Famous people from South Africa

Oscar Pistorius

South African sprinter and convicted murderer (born 1986)

1.6× usual views

Nelson Mandela

President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999

4.06K daily views

Maye Musk

Model and dietitian (born 1948)

1.76K daily views

Tyla

South African singer-songwriter (born 2002)

1.24K daily views

Sharlto Copley

South African producer, actor, and director

983 daily views

Alice Krige

South African actress

J. M. Coetzee

South African and Australian writer and scholar (born 1940)

Motsi Mabuse

South African dancer (born 1981)

Charlize Theron

South African and American actress (born 1975)

Benni McCarthy

South African association football player (born 1977)

Jody Scheckter

South African racecar driver

Graça Machel

Mozambican humanitarian activist and politician

Kgalema Motlanthe

President of South Africa, Deputy President of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) and Secretary-General of the African National Congress

Mark Shuttleworth

South African entrepreneur; second self-funded visitor to the International Space Station

Steven Pienaar

South African footballer

Nara Smith

Nara Aziza Smith is a South African-born German model and influencer based in the United States. She is known on her social media accounts for short cooking videos in which she prepares meals from scratch while wearing extravagant clothing, narrating in a quiet voice.

Gary Kirsten

Gary Kirsten is a South African cricket coach and former cricketer who played as a left-handed batter. He has served as the head coach of Sri Lanka since 2026.

Duhan van der Merwe

Duhan van der Merwe is a professional rugby union player who plays as a wing for Edinburgh in the United Rugby Championship (URC) and the Scotland national team. Born in South Africa, he represents Scotland having qualified on residency grounds.

Siphiwe Tshabalala

South African footballer

Aaron Mokoena

South African footballer

Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma

South African politician