South Africa's Hall of Fame.

Rugby

Siya Kolisi

1991–

Captain · back-to-back Rugby World Cups.

Rugby

Francois Pienaar

1967–

Captain of the 1995 World Cup squad.

Rugby

Bryan Habana

1983–

Most prolific Springbok try-scorer.

Rugby

Os du Randt

1972–

Two-time Rugby World Cup winner — 1995 & 2007.

Rugby

Joost van der Westhuizen

1971–2017

Springbok scrum-half · '95 World Cup hero.

Rugby

Rassie Erasmus

1972–

Architect of back-to-back World Cups.

Cricket

Hashim Amla

1983–

Test triple-centurion · elegance personified.

Cricket

AB de Villiers

1984–

360° batter · Mr. Cricket.

Cricket

Jacques Kallis

1975–

Greatest all-rounder of the modern era.

Cricket

Graeme Smith

1981–

Longest-serving Test captain in history.

Cricket

Makhaya Ntini

1977–

First Black African Proteas Test player.

Cricket

Kagiso Rabada

1995–

World-class fast bowler · Proteas spearhead.

Football

Lucas Radebe

1969–

Bafana captain · Premier League legend.

Football

Benni McCarthy

1977–

UEFA Champions League winner with Porto.

Football

Steven Pienaar

1982–

Everton midfield maestro.

Football

Banyana Banyana '22

2022

WAFCON champions — first continental title.

Football

Doctor Khumalo

1967–

Bafana playmaker · '96 AFCON winner.

Athletics

Caster Semenya

1991–

Two-time Olympic 800m champion.

Athletics

Wayde van Niekerk

1992–

World-record 400m, Rio 2016 — 43.03.

Athletics

Akani Simbine

1993–

Africa's fastest man · sub-9.90 sprinter.

Athletics

Elana Meyer

1966–

Olympic silver — Barcelona 10,000m, 1992.

Athletics

Josia Thugwane

1971–

Olympic marathon gold — Atlanta 1996.

Swimming

Penny Heyns

1974–

Double Olympic breaststroke gold, Atlanta '96.

Swimming

Chad le Clos

1992–

Olympic gold (200m butterfly), 2012.

Swimming

Tatjana Smith

1997–

Olympic breaststroke champion · Tokyo 2020.

Swimming

Roland Schoeman

1980–

World-record holder · 4×100m freestyle gold '04.

Golf

Ernie Els

1969–

Four-time Major champion.

Golf

Gary Player

1935–

Career Grand Slam · nine Majors.

Golf

Retief Goosen

1969–

Two-time U.S. Open champion.

Golf

Louis Oosthuizen

1982–

Open Championship winner, 2010.

Tennis

Kevin Anderson

1986–

Two-time Grand Slam finalist.

Tennis

Kgothatso Montjane

1986–

Wimbledon wheelchair-tennis finalist.

Motorsport

Jody Scheckter

1950–

Formula 1 World Champion, 1979.

Paralympic

Natalie du Toit

1984–

13 Paralympic golds · Beijing flag-bearer.

Paralympic

Ernst van Dyk

1973–

10× Boston Marathon wheelchair winner.

Paralympic

Achmat Hassiem

1981–

Paralympian → tourism-safety advocate.

Boxing

Brian Mitchell

1961–

Hall of Fame super-featherweight champion.

Boxing

Baby Jake Matlala

1962–2013

Four-time world boxing champion.

Cycling

Greg Minnaar

1981–

Four-time downhill MTB world champion.

Cycling

Daryl Impey

1984–

First African to wear the Tour yellow jersey.

Surfing

Jordy Smith

1988–

WSL world #2 · multi-event tour winner.

Surfing

Shaun Tomson

1955–

1977 World Surfing Champion.

Chefs

Reuben Riffel

1974–

Franschhoek's chef-restaurateur, Reuben's.

Chefs

Margot Janse

1969–

Tasting Room · World's 50 Best alumna.

Chefs

Luke Dale-Roberts

1972–

The Test Kitchen · #1 in Africa for years.

Chefs

Jan Hendrik v.d. Westhuizen

1981–

First SA chef with a Michelin star (Nice).

Chefs

Liam Tomlin

1965–

Chef's Warehouse · Cape small-plates pioneer.

Chefs

Peter Tempelhoff

1976–

FYN · World's 50 Best, two-Michelin-keys.

Chefs

Chantel Dartnall

1980–

Restaurant Mosaic · botanical fine-dining.

Wine

Wendy Appelbaum

1961–

DeMorgenzon · global wine-business leader.

Wine

Beyers Truter

1953–

Pinotage pioneer · Beyerskloof founder.

Conservation

Ian Player

1927–2014

Saved the white rhino from extinction.

Conservation

Lawrence Anthony

1950–2012

The Elephant Whisperer.

Conservation

Beverly & Dereck Joubert

—

National Geographic explorers-in-residence.

Conservation

Mark Shuttleworth (HBD)

1973–

Funder of HBD wildlife & landscape work.

Trackers

Renias Mhlongo

—

Master tracker · Tracker Academy.

Trackers

Boyd Varty

1983–

Londolozi tracker · Lion Tracker's Guide.

Explorers

Kingsley Holgate

1946–

Africa's most travelled humanitarian-explorer.

Hoteliers

Sol Kerzner

1935–2020

Sun City · One&Only · global resort pioneer.

Hoteliers

Liz Biden

—

Royal Portfolio — Cape luxury, redefined.

Hoteliers

Phil Biden

—

Royal Portfolio co-founder.

Hoteliers

Analjit Singh

1954–

Leeu Collection — anchored upper Franschhoek.

Music

Hugh Masekela

1939–2018

Father of South African jazz.

Music

Miriam Makeba

1932–2008

Mama Africa — global voice of the struggle.

Music

Brenda Fassie

1964–2004

Madonna of the townships.

Music

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

1960–

Five Grammys · Graceland co-architects.

Music

Black Coffee

1976–

Grammy-winning electronic-music export.

Music

Johnny Clegg

1953–2019

The White Zulu — cross-cultural music icon.

Film & TV

Trevor Noah

1984–

Daily Show · Born A Crime.

Film & TV

Charlize Theron

1975–

Academy Award winner · producer.

Film & TV

Sharlto Copley

1973–

District 9 lead · global SA actor.

Literature

J. M. Coetzee

1940–

Two-time Booker · Nobel in Literature.

Literature

Athol Fugard

1932–2025

South Africa's playwright laureate.

Literature

Damon Galgut

1963–

Booker Prize winner — The Promise.

Visual Art

William Kentridge

1955–

Globally exhibited visual artist.

Visual Art

Esther Mahlangu

1935–

Ndebele master — BMW Art Car '91.

Visual Art

Irma Stern

1894–1966

Foundational SA modernist painter.

Tech

Elon Musk

1971–

Tesla · SpaceX · born Pretoria.

Tech

Mark Shuttleworth

1973–

Thawte · Ubuntu · first African in space.

Tech

Roelof Botha

1973–

Sequoia Capital senior partner.

Industry & Mining

Patrice Motsepe

1962–

African Rainbow Minerals · CAF president.

Industry & Mining

Ivan Glasenberg

1957–

Built Glencore into a commodities giant.

Finance

Adrian Gore

1964–

Discovery Group founder.

Finance

Magda Wierzycka

1969–

Sygnia founder · tech-finance leader.

Finance

Vusi Thembekwayo

1985–

Founder, MyGrowthFund · global speaker.

Retail

Koos Bekker

1952–

Built Naspers/Tencent into a global story.

Retail

Christo Wiese

1941–

Pepkor / Shoprite — retail empire builder.

Retail

Raymond Ackerman

1931–2023

Pick n Pay founder — consumer-rights champion.

Peace & Statecraft

Nelson Mandela

1918–2013

Statesman · Nobel Peace Prize.

Peace & Statecraft

Desmond Tutu

1931–2021

Archbishop · Nobel Peace Prize.

Peace & Statecraft

Albert Luthuli

1898–1967

First African Nobel Peace laureate.

Peace & Statecraft

F. W. de Klerk

1936–2021

Nobel Peace Prize, 1993.

Science & Medicine

Aaron Klug

1926–2018

Nobel in Chemistry · structural biology.

Science & Medicine

Sydney Brenner

1927–2019

Nobel in Physiology · molecular biology.

Science & Medicine

Allan Cormack

1924–1998

Nobel in Physics · CT-scan mathematics.

Science & Medicine

Christiaan Barnard

1922–2001

First successful human heart transplant.

Science & Medicine

Max Theiler

1899–1972

Nobel in Medicine · yellow-fever vaccine.

Science & Medicine

Salim Abdool Karim

1960–

HIV/AIDS pioneer · COVID-19 advisor.

Letters

Nadine Gordimer

1923–2014

Nobel in Literature, 1991.