White South Africans generally refers to South Africans of European descent. In

linguistic Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

, 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 gr ...

-speaking descendants of the

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...

'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 British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

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 coun ...

. In 2016, 57.9% were native Afrikaans speakers, 40.2% were native

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

speakers, and 1.9% spoke another language as their mother tongue, such as

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

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 German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

. White South Africans are by far the largest population of White Africans. ''White'' was a legally defined

racial classification A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

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""The ...

from

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

and

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

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, Malawi ...

and

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

, 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 The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is ...

by the

(VOC) under

Jan van Riebeeck Johan Anthoniszoon "Jan" van Riebeeck (21 April 1619 – 18 January 1677) was a Dutch navigator and colonial administrator of the Dutch East India Company. Life Early life Jan van Riebeeck was born in Culemborg, as the son of a surgeon. ...

. 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 Be ...

s fleeing

religious persecution Religious persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or a group of individuals as a response to their religious beliefs or affiliations or their lack thereof. The tendency of societies or groups within societies to alienate o ...

at home and German soldiers or sailors returning from service in Asia. The

Cape Colony The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with ...

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 Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

and limits on colonial expansion into African lands. In order to prevent a frontier war, the

British Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprem ...

decided to send British settlers to start farms on the eastern frontier. Beginning in 1818 thousands of British settlers arrived in the growing

, 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 anim ...

. About a fifth of the Cape's original

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

-speaking white population migrated eastwards during the

Great Trek The Great Trek ( af, Die Groot Trek; nl, De Grote Trek) was a Northward migration of Dutch-speaking settlers who travelled by wagon trains from the Cape Colony into the interior of modern South Africa from 1836 onwards, seeking to live beyo ...

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

) 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 the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...

and

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

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. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...

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 th ...

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, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

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 Netherl ...

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 wi ...

, 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 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) 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 Black is a racialized classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin; in certain countries, often in ...

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

, 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. South ...

and

White White is the 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 reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

population groups, as well as

disabled people Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, se ...

) according to the representation of their racial group as a proportion of the total South African population.

Black Economic Empowerment Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) is a policy of the South African government which aims to facilitate broader participation in the economy by black people. A form of affirmative action, it is intended especially to redress the inequalities creat ...

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 (economics), profit or Non Profit, non profit, rather than being owned by t ...

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. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

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 West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

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

). 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 ''Solidarity'' is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. It is based on class collaboration.''Merriam Webster'', http://www.merriam-webster.com/dicti ...

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 Sandton is an upscale commercial and residential district north of the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. It forms part of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. The name of the city came from the combination of two of its suburbs ...

, have been affected by the 2008 13.5% rise in house robberies and associated crime. In a study,

Johan Burger Johan Petrus Burger is a South African businessman and the CEO of FirstRand. He succeeded Sizwe Nxasana who retired after nine years as CEO. Burger was previously the company's CFO. He graduated from the University of Johannesburg The Univer ...

, 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 Gauteng ( ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name in Sotho-Tswana languages means 'place of gold'. Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts for only ...

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 Global means of or referring to a globe and may also refer to: Entertainment * ''Global'' (Paul van Dyk album), 2003 * ''Global'' (Bunji Garlin album), 2007 * ''Global'' (Humanoid album), 1989 * ''Global'' (Todd Rundgren album), 2015 * Bruno ...

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-seve ...

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 to ...

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 Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

, 9% are

irreligious Irreligion or nonreligion is the absence or rejection of religion, or indifference to it. Irreligion takes many forms, ranging from the casual and unaware to full-fledged philosophies such as atheism and agnosticism, secular humanism and anti ...

, 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 A Christian denomination is a distinct Religion, religious body within Christianity that comprises all Church (congregation), church congregations of the same kind, identifiable by traits such as a name, particular history, organization, leadersh ...

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 and ...

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

Methodist Church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

(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 Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

(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 Mozambicans ( pt, luso-moçambicanos) are Mozambican-born descendants of Portuguese settlers. History Portuguese explorers turned to present-day Mozambique and two other PALOP nations (Angola and Guinea-Bissau) to bring black slav ...

Portuguese Angolans Portuguese Angolan ( pt, luso-angolano) is a person of Portuguese descent born or permanently living in Angola. The number of Portuguese Angolans dropped during the Angolan War of Independence, but several hundreds of thousands have again returne ...

, 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 Speakers of English are also known as Anglophones, and the countries where English is natively spoken by the majority of the population are termed the ''Anglosphere''. Over two billion people speak English , making English the largest language ...

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 continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

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 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

. 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 out ...

, 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 politi ...

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-aparth ...

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 Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

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 (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 Hate speech is defined by the ''Cambridge Dictionary'' as "public speech that expresses hate or encourages violence towards a person or group based on something such as race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation". Hate speech is "usually thoug ...

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 Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki KStJ (; born 18 June 1942) is a South African politician who was the second president of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008, when he resigned at the request of his party, the African National Congress (ANC ...

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 Racial segregation is the systematic separation of people into racial or other ethnic groups in daily life. Racial segregation can amount to the international crime of apartheid and a crime against humanity under the Statute of the Intern ...

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 no ...

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 Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

were considered ''

honorary whites Honorary whites is a term that was used by the apartheid regime of South Africa to grant some of rights and privileges of whites to those who would otherwise have been treated as non-whites under the Population Registration Act. This was made o ...

'' 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 African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

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 Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth contr ...

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 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 Church attendance is a central religious practice for many Christians; some Christian denominations, such as the Catholic Church require church attendance on the Lord's Day (Sunday); the Westminster Confession of Faith is held by the Reformed ...

with until recently the majority of white South Africans attending regular church services.

Notable White South Africans

Science and technology

Christiaan Barnard Christiaan Neethling Barnard (8 November 1922 – 2 September 2001) was a South African cardiac surgeon who performed the world's first human-to-human heart transplant operation. On 3 December 1967, Barnard transplanted the heart of accident-v ...

, surgeon who performed first successful human heart transplant *

Mike Botha Mike Botha is a master diamond cutter, with more than five decades in the profession. His training and subsequent career began in South Africa and has led him to Mauritius, Russia and Canada and from Vancouver to the Northwest Territories and Saskat ...

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 Peter Clive Sarnak (born 18 December 1953) is a South African-born mathematician with dual South-African and American nationalities. Sarnak has been a member of the permanent faculty of the School of Mathematics at the Institute for Advanced St ...

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nin ...

'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, "Ma ...

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

Percy Deift Percy Alec Deift (born September 10, 1945) is a mathematician known for his work on spectral theory, integrable systems, random matrix theory and Riemann–Hilbert problems. Life Deift was born in Durban, South Africa, where he obtained degrees ...

, mathematician specialising in analysis *

Sydney Brenner Sydney Brenner (13 January 1927 – 5 April 2019) was a South African biologist. In 2002, he shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with H. Robert Horvitz and Sir John E. Sulston. Brenner made significant contributions to work ...

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 specialize ...

; Nobel Prize, Physiology/Medicine 2002 * Michael Levitt,

biophysicist Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that applies approaches and methods traditionally used in physics to study biological phenomena. Biophysics covers all scales of biological organization, from molecular to organismic and populations. Bi ...

; Nobel Prize, Chemistry 2013 *

Allan McLeod Cormack Allan MacLeod Cormack (February 23, 1924 – May 7, 1998) was a South African American physicist who won the 1979 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (along with Godfrey Hounsfield) for his work on X-ray computed tomography (CT). Early life a ...

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 cau ...

; Nobel Prize, Medicine 1979 * Gordon Murray, designer of Formula One race cars, including the Championship winning

McLaren MP4/4 The McLaren MP4/4, also known as the McLaren-Honda MP4/4, is one of the most successful Formula One car designs of all time. Powered by Honda's RA168E 1.5-litre V6-turbo engine and driven by teammates Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna, the car comp ...

and the ultra-exclusive

McLaren F1 The McLaren F1 is a sports car designed and manufactured by British automobile manufacturer McLaren Cars, and powered by the BMW S70/2 V12 engine. The original concept was conceived by Gordon Murray. Murray was able to convince Ron Dennis to ...

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 B ...

, entrepreneur and engineer:

SpaceX Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is an American spacecraft manufacturer, launcher, and a satellite communications corporation headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk with the stated goal o ...

, Tesla Motors, and

PayPal PayPal Holdings, Inc. is an American multinational financial technology company operating an online payments system in the majority of countries that support online money transfers, and serves as an electronic alternative to traditional paper ...

; wealthiest person in the world as of August 2022 *

Basil Schonland Sir Basil Ferdinand Jamieson Schonland OMG CBE FRS (2 February 1896 – 24 November 1972) was noted for his research on lightning, his involvement in the development of radar during World War II and for being the first president of the South ...

, physicist *

Mark Shuttleworth Mark Richard Shuttleworth (born 18 September 1973) is a South African and British entrepreneur who is the founder and CEO of Canonical, the company behind the development of the Linux-based Ubuntu operating system. In 2002, Shuttleworth became ...

, founder of

Ubuntu Ubuntu ( ) is a Linux distribution based on Debian and composed mostly of free and open-source software. Ubuntu is officially released in three editions: '' Desktop'', ''Server'', and ''Core'' for Internet of things devices and robots. All ...

, 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, whi ...

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 consi ...

Neil Turok Neil Geoffrey Turok (born 16 November 1958) is a South African physicist. He holds the Higgs Chair of Theoretical Physics at the University of Edinburgh since 2020, and has been director emeritus of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physi ...

cosmologist Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', and in 1731 taken up in Latin by German philosopher ...

George F. R. Ellis George Francis Rayner Ellis, FRS, Hon. FRSSAf (born 11 August 1939), is the emeritus distinguished professor of complex systems in the Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. He co-aut ...

, 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 first ...

, virologist; Nobel Prize, Medicine 1951 *

Phillip Tobias Phillip Vallentine Tobias (14 October 1925 – 7 June 2012) was a South African palaeoanthropologist and Professor Emeritus at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. He was best known for his work at South Africa's hominid fossil ...

, palaeo-anthropologist *

Seymour Papert Seymour Aubrey Papert (; 29 February 1928 – 31 July 2016) was a South African-born American mathematician, computer scientist, and educator, who spent most of his career teaching and researching at MIT. He was one of the pioneers of artificia ...

, pioneer of

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech ...

Military

* Flight Lieutenant

Andrew Beauchamp-Proctor Andrew Frederick Weatherby (Anthony) Beauchamp-Proctor, (4 September 1894 – 21 June 1921) was a South African airman and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to Briti ...

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 ( ...

, DFC

fighter ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

, 1st World War * Major

William Bloomfield Major William Anderson Bloomfield VC (30 January 1873 – 12 May 1954) was a Scottish 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, South African East African campaign, 1st World War * Captain William Faulds 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 and ...

, 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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

* 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 maj ...

, 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 The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...

* Major Oswald Reid 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 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 So ...

Bambatha Rebellion The Bambatha Rebellion (or the Zulu Rebellion) of 1906 was led by Bambatha kaMancinza (c. 1860–1906?), leader of the Zondi clan of the Zulu people, who lived in the Mpanza Valley (now a district near Greytown, KwaZulu-Natal) against British ...

, 1st World War * Captain

Quentin Smythe Quentin George Murray Smythe (6 August 1916 – 22 October 1997) 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, 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 Servic ...

* General Constand Viljoen SSA SD SOE SM MMM MP, former South African military chief and former leader of the

Freedom Front Plus The Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus; af, Vryheidsfront Plus, ''VF Plus'') is a right-wing political party in South Africa that was formed (as the Freedom Front) in 1994. It is led by Pieter Groenewald. Its current stated policy positions include a ...

*Air Vice Marshal John Frederick George Howe, 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 Charlene (' Charlene Lynette Wittstock; French: ''Charlène'';Since her marriage, her name has been Gallicised by adding a grave accent to her name in French documents. born 25 January 1978) is the princess consort of Monaco and a former Olympic ...

Bruce Murray, 12th Duke of Atholl Bruce George Ronald Murray, 12th Duke of Atholl OStJ (born 5/6 April 1960), is a South African-born hereditary peer in the Peerage of Scotland and Chief of Clan Murray.

Arts and media

Jani Allan Jani Allan (born 11 September 1952) is a South African journalist, columnist, writer and broadcaster. She became one of the country's first media celebrities in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1980, Allan became a columnist for the centrist newspaper, ...

, columnist and

radio commentator Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a tra ...

Melinda Bam Melinda Bam (born 13 May 1989) is a South African TV Personality, presenting popular TV show Pasella & Wies Jou Poppie (season 1–3), international model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss South Africa 2011, becoming the offic ...

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 ...

* Joyce Barker, opera singer - soprano *

David Benatar David Benatar (born 8 December 1966) is a South African philosopher, academic and author. He is best known for his advocacy of antinatalism in his book '' Better Never to Have Been: The Harm of Coming into Existence'', in which he argues that ...

, 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 Speech ...

, actor * David Bateson, voice actor in the ''

Hitman Contract killing is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or persons. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of payment, monetary or otherwise. Either party may b ...

'' video game series * Bok van Blerk, singer *

Neill Blomkamp Neill Blomkamp (; born 17 September 1979) is a South African filmmaker. He employs a documentary-style, hand-held, cinéma vérité technique, blending naturalistic and photo-realistic computer-generated effects, and his films often deal wit ...

, director *

Herman Charles Bosman Herman Charles Bosman (5 February 1905 – 14 October 1951) is widely regarded as South Africa's greatest short-story writer. He studied the works of Edgar Allan Poe and Mark Twain and developed a style emphasizing the use of satire. His English ...

, writer * Johan Botha, opera singer - tenor *

Breyten Breytenbach Breyten Breytenbach (; born 16 September 1939) is a South African writer, poet and painter known for his opposition to apartheid, and consequent imprisonment by the South African government. He is informally considered as the national poet lau ...

, writer and painter * Andre Brink, novelist *

Johnny Clegg Jonathan Paul Clegg, (7 June 195316 July 2019) was a South African musician, singer-songwriter, dancer, anthropologist and anti-apartheid activist, some of whose work was in musicology focused on the music of indigenous South African people ...

, musician noted for performing in

Juluka Juluka was a South African music band formed in 1969 by Johnny Clegg and Sipho Mchunu. means "sweat" in Zulu, and was the name of a bull owned by Mchunu. The band was closely associated with the mass movement against apartheid. History At th ...

and

Savuka Savuka, occasionally referred to as Johnny Clegg & Savuka, was a multi-racial South African band formed in 1986 by Johnny Clegg after the disbanding of Juluka. Savuka's music blended traditional Zulu musical influences with Celtic music and r ...

Penelope Coelen Penelope Anne Coelen (born 15 April 1940) is a retired South African actress, model and beauty queen who was Miss World 1958. She was the first major international titleholder to come from Africa. Early life Penelope Anne Coelen was from D ...

Miss World 1958 Miss World 1958, the 8th edition of the Miss World pageant, was held on 13 October 1958 at the Lyceum Ballroom in London, United Kingdom. Penelope Anne Coelen of South Africa was crowned by Marita Lindahl of Finland at the end of the pagean ...

Mimi Coertse Mimi Coertse, DMS (born 12 June 1932) is a South African soprano. On 26 January 2020, Mimi was also inaugurated as a living legend in the South African Legends Museum. She was one of only 20 legends from whom a bust was also made. Early li ...

, 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 th ...

, 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 Sharlto Copley (born 27 November 1973) is a South African actor. His acting credits include roles in the Academy Award-nominated science fiction film ''District 9'', the 2010 adaptation of ''The A-Team'', the science fiction film ''Elysium'', t ...

, actor *

John Cranko John Cyril Cranko (15 August 1927 – 26 June 1973) was a South African ballet dancer and choreographer with the Royal Ballet and the Stuttgart Ballet. Life and career Early life Cranko was born in Rustenburg in the former province of Transv ...

, 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, 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 Kurt Johan van Heerden (born 19 February 1970), better known as Kurt Darren, is a South African singer, songwriter and television presenter, who won seven South African Music Awards (SAMA) from 2007 to 2011. He has also appeared in a number of ...

, singer *

Theuns Jordaan Theuns Jordaan (10 January 1971 – 17 November 2021) was a South African singer-songwriter. Biography Jordaan was born on 10 January 1971 on a Karoo farm near Venterstad in the Eastern Cape. While studying industrial psychology at the Universi ...

, 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 Die Antwoord (, Afrikaans for "The Answer") is a South African alternative hip hop group formed in Cape Town in 2008. The group comprises rappers Watkin Tudor "Ninja" Jones and Anri "Yolandi Visser" du Toit, a male/female duo, and producers ...

, 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 largest ...

Collette Dinnigan Collette Mary Ann Dinnigan (born 24 September 1965) is an Australian based fashion designer. Born in South Africa, Dinnigan moved to New Zealand, then Australia, where she obtained work with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. She ope ...

, South African born fashion designer. *

Kim Engelbrecht Kim Suzanne Engelbrecht (born 20 June 1980) is a South African actress. She is the recipient of two South African Film and Television Awards as well as a nomination for an International Emmy Award. She is known for her roles as Lolly in the soa ...

, actress *

Elisabeth Eybers Elisabeth Françoise Eybers (26 February 1915 – 1 December 2007) was a South African poet. Her poetry was mainly in Afrikaans, although she translated some of her own work (and those of others) into English. Eybers was born in Klerksdorp, ...

, poet *

Duncan Faure Rabbitt were a South African rock band formed in 1972, evolving from a band called The Conglomeration, consisting of members Trevor Rabin, Duncan Faure, Ronnie Robot, and Neil Cloud. Their successes included making it to the top of the South A ...

, singer-songwriter and musician *

Nicole Flint Nicole Flint (born 15 May 1988) is a South African-American model, radio and TV presenter and public relations professional from Pretoria who was crowned Miss South Africa 2009.Miss South Africa 2008 Miss South Africa 2008 was held on 15 December 2008 in Sun City, South Africa. The winner will represent South Africa at Miss Universe 2009 and Miss World 2009. 12 contestants competed for crown. Results ;Color keys Contestants Judge ...

Athol Fugard Athol Fugard, Hon. , (born 11 June 1932), is a South African playwright, novelist, actor, and director widely regarded as South Africa's greatest playwright. He is best known for his political and penetrating plays opposing the system of apart ...

, playwright * Edwin Gagiano, South African-born actor, model, filmmaker, singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles. *

Dean Geyer Dean Stanley Geyer (born 20 March 1986) is a South African Australian singer-songwriter, actor and martial artist who finished third in the 2006 season of the talent show television series ''Australian Idol'', and has had a notable role in the ...

, actor and singer *

Goldfish The goldfish (''Carassius auratus'') is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of order Cypriniformes. It is commonly kept as a pet in indoor aquariums, and is one of the most popular aquarium fish. Goldfish released into the wild have bec ...

, electronic duo originating from Cape Town. *

Nadine Gordimer Nadine Gordimer (20 November 192313 July 2014) was a South African writer and political activist. She received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1991, recognized as a writer "who through her magnificent epic writing has ... been of very great b ...

, writer; Nobel Prize, Literature 1991 * Stefans Grové, composer and writer *

Cariba Heine Cariba Heine (born 1 October 1988) is a South African-born Australian actress and dancer. She is known for her roles as Rikki Chadwick in the Network Ten show '' H2O: Just Add Water'', Bridget Sanchez in the third series of ''Blue Water High'', ...

, actress * François Henning, singer *

Sonja Herholdt Sonja Herholdt (born 1 December 1952) is a South African singer-songwriter and Afrikaner actress. Personal life Herholdt was born in the small Gauteng mining village of Nigel and at the age of three made her first singing performance at the lo ...

, recording artist * Jacques Imbrailo, opera singer - baritone *

Sid James Sidney James (born Solomon Joel Cohen; 8 May 1913 – 26 April 1976) was a British actor and comedian whose career encompassed radio, television, stage and screen. He was best known for numerous roles in the Carry On film series. Born to a mi ...

, actor, '' Carry On''

team A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal. As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interdependent with respect to inf ...

* Trevor Jones, composer *

Ingrid Jonker Ingrid may refer to: * Ingrid (given name) * Ingrid (record label), and artist collective * Ingrid Burley, rapper known mononymously as Ingrid * Tropical Storm Ingrid, various cyclones * 1026 Ingrid, an asteroid * InGrid, the grid computing pr ...

, poet * John Joubert, composer *

Peter Klatzow Peter James Leonard Klatzow (14 July 1945 – 29 December 2021) was a South African composer and pianist. He was the director of the College of Music and was an emeritus professor in composition at the University of Cape Town. Life and caree ...

, composer *

Gé Korsten Gérard Korsten (popularly known as Gé) (6 December 1927 - 29 September 1999) was a South African opera tenor and actor who had a great influence on Afrikaans culture. Born in Schiedam, as the youngest of eight children, Korsten and his fami ...

, opera singer - tenor, actor *

Alice Krige Alice Maud Krige (; born 28 June 1954) is a South African actress and producer. Her first feature film role was in '' Chariots of Fire'' (1981) as the Gilbert and Sullivan singer Sybil Gordon. She played the dual role of Eva Galli/Alma Mobley i ...

, actress *

Antjie Krog Antjie Krog (born 23 October 1952) is a South African writer and academic, best known for her Afrikaans poetry, her reporting on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and her 1998 book '' Country of My Skull''. In 2004, she joined the Arts f ...

, writer * Kongos;

rock band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two gui ...

Caspar Lee Caspar Richard George Lee (born 24 April 1994) is a British-South African YouTuber turned investor and serial entrepreneur. He was featured in ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 in 2020 for his work in media and advertising. Career Lee started his YouTube ...

, YouTuber, actor * Josh Pieters, Youtuber *

Locnville Locnville (sometimes abridged as LCNVL) is a South African electro hop music duo. Identical twin brothers Andrew and Brian Chaplin formed Locnville in Cape Town, South Africa, in 2009. The twins are singer-songwriters, song producers and musici ...

, 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, poet, writer, lawyer and naturalist *

Monica Mason Dame Monica Mason (born 6 September 1941) is a former ballet dancer, teacher, and artistic director of The Royal Ballet. In more than fifty years with the company, she established a reputation as a versatile performer, a skilled rehearsal direct ...

, ballet dancer and director of the

Royal Ballet The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded in ...

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, Fre ...

, 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 pr ...

-winning singer-songwriter *

Deon Meyer Deon Godfrey Meyer is a South African thriller novelist, writing in Afrikaans. His books have been translated into more than 20 languages. He has also written numerous scripts for television and film. Life and career Meyer was born on 4 July 1 ...

, writer * Shaun Morgan, singer and guitarist for the rock band

Seether Seether are a South African rock band founded in 1999 in Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa. The band originally performed under the name Saron Gas until 2002, when they moved to the United States and changed it to Seether to avoid confusion wi ...

Marita Napier Marita Napier (nee Jacobs; 16 February 1939 – 10 April 2004) was a South African operatic soprano, known internationally as a performer of music by Strauss and Wagner. She performed in 19 productions of Wagner's ''Der Ring des Nibelungen''. In ...

, opera singer - soprano * Anton Nel, pianist *

Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters Demi-Leigh Tebow (née Nel-Peters; born 28 June 1995) is a South African model and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Universe 2017. She was crowned Miss South Africa 2017, and is the second Miss Universe winner from South Africa, following Ma ...

Miss Universe 2017 Miss Universe 2017 was the 66th Miss Universe pageant, held at The AXIS at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States on November 26, 2017. At the end of the event, Iris Mittenaere of France crowned Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters of South Af ...

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 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 music they produ ...

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 Alan Stewart Paton (11 January 1903 – 12 April 1988) was a South African writer and anti-apartheid activist. His works include the novels ''Cry, the Beloved Country'' and '' Too Late the Phalarope''. Family Paton was born in Pietermaritzbur ...

, writer * Graham Payn, actor, singer *

Madelaine Petsch Madelaine Grobbelaar Petsch (born August 18, 1994) is an American actress and YouTuber. She is known for portraying Cheryl Blossom on The CW television series '' Riverdale'' and Marissa in ''F the Prom''. Early life Petsch was born on August 1 ...

, actress, model,

YouTuber A YouTuber is an online personality and/or influencer who produces videos on the video-sharing platform YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006. Influence Influe ...

Sasha Pieterse Sasha Pieterse-Sheaffer (; born February 17, 1996) is a South African-born American actress, singer and songwriter. She is known for her role as Alison DiLaurentis in the Freeform series '' Pretty Little Liars'' and its spin-off '' Pretty Litt ...

, actress in the hit ABC family series ''

Pretty Little Liars ''Pretty Little Liars'' is an American mystery teen drama television series based on the novel series of the same name written by Sara Shepard. Developed by I. Marlene King, the series was broadcast on Freeform between June 8, 2010, and June ...

'' * Brendan Peyper, singer *

Tanit Phoenix Tanit Phoenix (born 24 September 1980) is a South African fashion model, actress and makeup artist. She is known for her swimwear and lingerie photo shoots after appearing in a ''Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue'' in 2003 and in '' GQ'' magazine ...

, actress, fashion model * Hubert du Plessis, composer * William Plomer, novelist, poet and literary editor *Sir

Laurens van der Post Sir Laurens Jan van der Post, (13 December 1906 – 15 December 1996) was a South African Afrikaner writer, farmer, soldier, educator, journalist, humanitarian, philosopher, explorer and conservationist. He was noted for his interest in J ...

, controversial author, conservationist, explorer, journalist and

confidant The confidant ( or ; feminine: confidante, same pronunciation) is a character in a story whom a protagonist confides in and trusts. Confidants may be other principal characters, characters who command trust by virtue of their position such as ...

The Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers o ...

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 A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure. Models c ...

Trevor Rabin Trevor Charles Rabin (; born ) is a South African rock musician and composer. Born into a musical family and raised in Johannesburg, Rabin took up the piano and guitar at an early age and became a session musician, playing and producing with a va ...

, 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 Talent ...

Basil Rathbone Philip St. John Basil Rathbone MC (13 June 1892 – 21 July 1967) was a South African-born English actor. He rose to prominence in the United Kingdom as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in more than 70 films, primarily costume ...

, actor * J. R. Rotem, productor, songwriter and music publisher *

Neil Sandilands Neil Joseph William Sandilands (born May 1st, 1975) is a South African actor and filmmaker, known for roles in both film and television and for his versatility in filmmaking. In 2016, he had recurring roles on Sundance TV's '' Hap and Leonard'' ...

, actor, director and

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...

* Stelio Savante American Movie Award-winning and SAG-nominated actor *

Olive Schreiner Olive Schreiner (24 March 1855 – 11 December 1920) was a South African author, anti-war campaigner and intellectual. She is best remembered today for her novel ''The Story of an African Farm'' (1883), which has been highly acclaimed. It deal ...

, South African writer, remembered for her novel ''

The Story of an African Farm ''The Story of an African Farm'' (published in 1883 under the pseudonym Ralph Iron) was South African author Olive Schreiner's first published novel. It was an immediate success and has become recognised as one of the first feminist novels. B ...

'' (1883). *

Leon Schuster Leon Ernest "Schuks" Schuster (born 21 May 1951) is a South African filmmaker, comedian, actor, prankster and singer. Early life Schuster was drawn to the filmmaking process at an early age. As a child he and his brother would play practical ...

, comedian, filmmaker, actor, presenter and singer * Sir Antony Sher, actor *

Troye Sivan Troye Sivan Mellet ( ; born 5 June 1995) is an Australian singer-songwriter, actor and YouTuber. After gaining popularity as a singer on YouTube and in Australian talent competitions, Sivan signed with EMI Australia in 2013 and released his th ...

, YouTuber, singer (half Australian) * Cliff Simon, actor and athlete *

Phyllis Spira Phyllis Spira (18 October 1943 – 11 March 2008) was a South African ballet dancer who began her career with the Royal Ballet in England. Upon returning to South Africa, she spent twenty-eight years as ''prima ballerina'' of CAPAB Ballet, a p ...

, ballerina, Prima Ballerina Assoluta *

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

, YouTuber, first China

vlog A video blog or video log, sometimes shortened to vlog (), is a form of blog for which the medium is video. Vlog entries often combine embedded video (or a video link) with supporting text, images, and other metadata. Entries can be recorded i ...

ger and cofounder of ADVChina * Gerhard Steyn, singer *

Miriam Stockley Miriam Arlene Stockley (born 15 April 1962) is a British singer. She was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and her work is influenced by the African music of her home country. Her distinctive '' vocalise'' style gained international acclaim whe ...

, singer * Rolene Strauss,

Miss World 2014 Miss World 2014, the 64th edition of the Miss World pageant, was held on 14 December 2014 at the ExCeL London in London, United Kingdom. 121 contestants competed for the crown. Megan Young of the Philippines crowned her successor Rolene Strau ...

Tammin Sursok Tammin Sursok (born 19 August 1983) is a South African-born Australian actress and singer. She is known for her roles on television as Dani Sutherland on ''Home and Away'', Colleen Carlton on ''The Young and the Restless'', and Jenna Marshall ...

, actress, born in South Africa, but raised in Australia *

Candice Swanepoel Candice Susan Swanepoel (; ; born 20 October 1988) is a South African model and philanthropist. She is known for her work with Victoria's Secret. She became a Victoria's Secret Angel in 2010. In 2016, she was listed 8th on the ''Forbes'' top-ea ...

. *

Esta TerBlanche Esta TerBlanche (born 7 January 1973) is a South African actress, best known for her roles on television soap operas in both South Africa and the United States. Early life TerBlanche was born in Rustenburg, North West Province. She is of Hugue ...

, actress and model *

Charlize Theron Charlize Theron ( ; ; born 7 August 1975) is a South African and American actress and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actresses, she is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. In 20 ...

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 ind ...

-winning actor * ZP Theart, former singer for the British power metal band

DragonForce DragonForce are a British power metal band from London, England. The band was formed in 1999 by guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman, and are known for their long and fast guitar solos, fantasy-themed lyrics and retro video game-influenced ...

, former singer for the American rock band

Skid Row A skid row or skid road is an impoverished area, typically urban, in English-speaking North America whose inhabitants are mostly poor people " on the skids". This specifically refers to poor or homeless, considered disreputable, downtrodden or fo ...

and singer for the British heavy metal band I Am I * Elize du Toit, actress * Jakob Daniël du Toit, poet *

Pieter-Dirk Uys Pieter-Dirk Uys (; born 28 September 1945) is a South African performer, author, satirist, and social activist. One of his best known roles is as Evita Bezuidenhout, an Afrikaner socialite. Background and early life Uys was born in Cape Town o ...

, performer and

satirist This is an incomplete list of writers, cartoonists and others known for involvement in satire – humorous social criticism. They are grouped by era and listed by year of birth. Included is a list of modern satires. Under Contemporary, 1930-196 ...

, creator of ''Evita Bezuidenhout'' *

Musetta Vander Musetta Vander (born Musetta van der Merwe; 26 May 1963) is a South African actress, model and dancer. Biography In 1991, Vander landed her first notable role, portraying Zander Tyler in seven episodes of the action-adventure TV series '' Supe ...

, actress *

Kevin Volans Kevin Volans (born 26 July 1949) is a South African born Irish composer and pianist. He studied with Karlheinz Stockhausen and Mauricio Kagel in Cologne in the 1970s and later became associated with the ''Neue Einfacheit'' (New Simplicity) mov ...

, composer and pianist *

Arnold Vosloo Arnold Vosloo (born 16 June 1962) is a South African-American actor. He is famous for roles such as Imhotep in '' The Mummy'' and ''The Mummy Returns'', Colonel Coetzee in ''Blood Diamond'', Pik van Cleef in ''Hard Target'', Dr. Peyton Westlak ...

, 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 populat ...

, comedian *

Justine Waddell Justine Waddell (born 4 November 1975) is a South African-British former actress. She played roles in the 2006 film '' The Fall'' and 2005 film ''Chaos'' as well as Tess in the 1998 LWT adaptation of '' Tess of the d'Urbervilles'' and Estella ...

, actress *

Deon van der Walt Deon van der Walt (28 July 1958 – 29 November 2005), was a South African tenor. Van der Walt studied singing at Stellenbosch University and made his debut as Jaquino in Beethoven's ''Fidelio'' at the Cape Town Opera before he had graduate ...

, 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 f ...

, soprano and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

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 impos ...

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

Indietronica Indie rock is a 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 music they produc ...

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, investor; media and sports executive *

Ivan Glasenberg Ivan Glasenberg (born 7 January 1957) is a South African business executive and former chief executive officer of Glencore, one of the world's largest commodity trading and mining companies. In December 2020 it was announced that Glasenberg will ...

, CEO of

Glencore Xstrata Glencore plc is a Swiss multinational commodity trading and mining company with headquarters in Baar, Switzerland. Glencore's oil and gas head office is in London and its registered office is in Saint Helier, Jersey. The current company was c ...

, one of the world's largest commodity trading and

mining companies This is an incomplete alphabetical list of mining companies. A * Adex Mining * Aditya Birla Group * African Rainbow Minerals * Agnico Eagle * Aiteo * Alumina * Anaconda Copper * Anglo American (mining) * Anglo Platinum * AngloGold Ashant ...

Sol Kerzner Solomon Kerzner, (23 August 1935 – 21 March 2020) was a South African accountant and business magnate. He founded both of South Africa's largest hotel groups, the Southern Sun Hotel Group and Sun International. He was also the Founder, Chair ...

, accountant and

business magnate A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through per ...

mainly in the casino resort sector *

Harry Oppenheimer Harry Frederick Oppenheimer (28 October 1908 – 19 August 2000) was a prominent South African businessman, industrialist and philanthropist. Oppenheimer was often ranked as one of the wealthiest people in the world, and was considered South A ...

, chairman of

Anglo American Corporation Anglo is a prefix indicating a relation to, or descent from, the Angles, England, English culture, the English people or the English language, such as in the term ''Anglosphere''. It is often used alone, somewhat loosely, to refer to people o ...

for 25 years and

De Beers Consolidated Mines De Beers Group is an international corporation that specializes in diamond mining, diamond exploitation, diamond retail, diamond trading and industrial diamond manufacturing sectors. The company is active in open-pit, large-scale alluvial and ...

for 27 years *

Nicky Oppenheimer Nicholas F. Oppenheimer (born 8 June 1945) is a South African billionaire businessman. He was formerly the chairman of De Beers diamond mining company and of its subsidiary, the Diamond Trading Company, and former deputy chairman of Anglo Amer ...

, chairman of the

De Beers De Beers Group is an international corporation that specializes in diamond mining, diamond exploitation, diamond retail, diamond trading and industrial diamond manufacturing sectors. The company is active in open-pit, large-scale alluvial and ...

diamond mining Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, ...

company and its subsidiary, the Diamond Trading Company *

Anton Rupert Anthony Edward Rupert (4 October 1916 – 18 January 2006) was a South African businessman, philanthropist, and conservationist. He was born and raised in the small town of Graaff-Reinet in the Eastern Cape. He studied in Pretoria and ultimate ...

, founder of the

Rembrandt Group The Rembrandt Group, officially known as Rembrandt Trust (Proprietary) Limited, is a South African tobacco and industrial conglomerate founded by Afrikaner tycoon Dr Anton Rupert who oversaw its eventual transition to the industrial and luxury bra ...

Johann Rupert Johann Peter Rupert (born 1 June 1950) is a South African billionaire businessman, who is the eldest son of business tycoon Anton Rupert and his wife Huberte. He is the chairman of the Swiss-based luxury-goods company Richemont and the South Af ...

, chairman of the Swiss-based luxury-goods company

Richemont Compagnie Financière Richemont S.A., commonly known as Richemont, is a Switzerland-based luxury goods holding company founded in 1988 by South African businessman Johann Rupert. Through its various subsidiaries, Richemont produces and sells j ...

and South Africa-based company

Remgro Remgro Limited is an investment holding company based in Stellenbosch, South Africa. It has interests in banking, financial services, packaging, glass products, medical services, mining, petroleum, beverage, food and personal care products. I ...

* Desmond Sacco, 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, former State President of South Africa * Marike de Klerk, former First Lady of South Africa, murdered in her home in 2001 * Patrick Duncan (South African politician), Sir Patrick Duncan Governor-General of South Africa, Governor-General at the start of the

* Ruth First, anti-apartheid activist and scholar * Sir James Percy FitzPatrick, author, politician and businessman * Derek Hanekom, Deputy Minister of Technology; prominent African National Congress, ANC member of Parliament * Nicholas Haysom, Former legal adviser to Nelson Mandela, former United Nations Special Representative to Afghanistan *Geordin Hill-Lewis, Mayor of Cape Town *Sandra Laing, white girl reclassified as "Coloured" during the apartheid era * D. F. Malan, former Prime Minister of South Africa * Pieter Mulder, former Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries; leader of the

* Andries Pretorius, former leader of the Voortrekkers who was instrumental in the creation of the South African Republic * Harry Schwarz, lawyer, politician, diplomat and anti-apartheid leader * Joe Slovo, former leader of the South African Communist Party played key part in Negotiations to end apartheid in South Africa, constitutional negotiations in the 1990s * Field Marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal Jan Smuts, soldier, politician and former Prime Minister of South Africa during both World war, World Wars. Only person to sign both world War peace treaties on the winning side. * Jan Steytler, first leader of Progressive Party (South Africa), Progressive Party of South Africa, former MP * Helen Suzman, Anti-Apartheid Movement, anti-apartheid activist and Parliament of South Africa, former MP, solo anti-apartheid parliamentarian from 1961 to 1974 representing Progressive Party (South Africa), served on first Independent Electoral Commission (South Africa), 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 (South Africa, 1973), Democratic Party 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 * Eugène Terre'Blanche, former leader of the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging; murdered * Marthinus van Schalkwyk, previous Minister of Tourism and ANC member of Parliament; played a key role in merging the National Party (South Africa), National Party into the ANC * Hendrik Verwoerd, former Prime Minister of South Africa; primary architect of Apartheid; assassinated in

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

Sport

* Andrew Surman * Willem Alberts, professional rugby player * Kevin Anderson (tennis), Kevin Anderson, professional tennis player * Clive Barker (soccer), 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 (soccer), Matthew Booth, former footballer * Francois Botha, Professional boxing, professional boxer * Michael Botha, professional rugby player * Mark Boucher, former professional cricketer * Vincent Breet, rower * Okkert Brits, former pole vaulter, holds the African record and only African in the "6 metres club" * Schalk Brits, professional rugby player * Zola Budd, former track and field runner, broke the world record in the women's 5000 metres, 5000 m 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 titles, world heavyweight title * Tony Coyle, former footballer * Hansie Cronje, professional cricketer * Lood de Jager, professional rugby player * Faf de Klerk, professional rugby player * Quinton de Kock, professional cricketer * Roger De Sá, former footballer * AB de Villiers, professional batsman * Giniel de Villiers, Auto racing, racing driver and winner of the 2009 Dakar Rally * Jean de Villiers, former professional rugby player * Allan Donald, 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 Official World Golf Rankings#Number 1 ranked golfers, World No. 1 and winner of four Men's major golf championships, Majors * Eben Etzebeth, professional rugby player * Brett Evans, former footballer and current football coach * Paul Evans (footballer, born 1973), Paul Evans, former footballer * Rowen Fernández, former footballer * Lyndon Ferns, former swimmer and Olympic gold medal, gold medallist in the 4 × 100 metres relay, 4x100m freestyle relay at the 2004 Summer Olympics * Wayne Ferreira, former tennis player * Mark Fish, former footballer * Dean Furman, footballer, captain of South African team * Retief Goosen, professional golfer, twice U.S. Open (golf), US Open champion * Penelope Heyns, Penny Heyns, former swimmer, the only woman in the history of the Olympic Games to have won both the 100 m and 200 m breaststroke events, at the 1996 Summer Olympics * Pierre Issa, former footballer * Liam Jordan, 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 (motorcyclist), Grant Langston, former professional motocross rider who competed in Europe and the US * Chad le Clos, swimmer and gold medalist in the 200m Butterfly stroke, butterfly at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London * Adam Rose, Raymond Leppan, Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, formerly signed with World Wrestling Entertainment performing under the name "Adam Rose" * Paul Lloyd Jr., professional wrestler, formerly signed with World Wrestling Entertainment where he performed under the name Justin Gabriel * Francois Louw, professional rugby player * Calvin Marlin, former footballer * Malcolm Marx, professional rugby player * Victor Matfield, former professional rugby player * Hank McGregor, Surf ski, surf skier and kayak marathon champion * Elana Meyer, former Long-distance running, 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 cap (sport), caps and points for the South Africa national rugby union team, Springboks * Albie Morkel, cricketer * Morne Morkel, cricketer * Franco Mostert, professional rugby player * Karen Muir, former swimmer * Franco Naudé, 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 * François Pienaar, former captain of the South Africa national rugby union team, 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 Games, 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, professional rugby player * Jonty Rhodes, professional cricketer * Glen Salmon, former footballer * Corrie Sanders, in 2003 became the World Boxing Organization, WBO heavyweight champion; murdered in 2012 * Jody Scheckter, former Formula One auto-racer and winner of 1979 Formula One season * Louis Schreuder, 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, former footballer * Jan Serfontein, professional rugby player * Dillon Sheppard, former footballer * John Smit, former captain of the South Africa national rugby union team, Springboks, leading South Africa to victory in the 2007 Rugby World Cup * Graeme Smith, former captain of the South Africa national cricket team, Proteas * Kwagga Smith, professional rugby player * R.G. Snyman, 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 (footballer), Andrew Tucker, former footballer * Hans Vonk (footballer), Hans Vonk, former footballer, South Africa national football team, South Africa's first choice goalkeeper during 1998 Fifa World Cup * Cameron van der Burgh, 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, horse racing jockey, 13-time Hong Kong champion jockey * Ivan Winstanley, former footballer * Neil Winstanley, former footballer

Other

* Mariette Bosch, murderer executed by the Politics of Botswana, 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

{{authority control White South African people, European South African, South African people of European descent, European diaspora in Africa, South Africa 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