White South Africans are South Africans of European descent. In

linguistic Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...

, cultural, and historical terms, they are generally divided into the

Afrikaans Afrikaans is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language spoken in South Africa, Namibia and to a lesser extent Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and also Argentina where there is a group in Sarmiento, Chubut, Sarmiento that speaks the Pat ...

-speaking descendants of the

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( ; VOC ), commonly known as the Dutch East India Company, was a chartered company, chartered trading company and one of the first joint-stock companies in the world. Established on 20 March 1602 by the States Ge ...

's original colonists, known as

Afrikaners Afrikaners () are a Southern African ethnic group descended from predominantly Dutch people, Dutch Settler colonialism, settlers who first arrived at the Cape of Good Hope in Free Burghers in the Dutch Cape Colony, 1652.Entry: Cape Colony. '' ...

, 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. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

colonists of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

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

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

. White settlement in South Africa began with Dutch colonisation in 1652, followed by

colonisation in the 19th century, which led to tensions and further expansion inland by

Boer Boers ( ; ; ) are the descendants of the proto Afrikaans-speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. From 1652 to 1795, the Dutch East India Company controlled the Dutch ...

settlers. Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, waves of immigrants from

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and continued to grow the white population, which peaked in the mid-1990s. Under apartheid, strict racial classifications enforced a legal and economic order that privileged the white minority. Post-apartheid reforms such as Black Economic Empowerment had the goal of redistributing business opportunities and market access to previously disadvantaged groups, prompting reports of newfound economic vulnerability among some white South Africans as material advantages and disadvantages were beginning to be brought to light. Since the 1990s, a large number of white South Africans have emigrated, due to concerns over

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definiti ...

and employment prospects, with a number returning in subsequent years. The white population in South Africa peaked between 1989 and 1995 at around 5.2 to 5.6 million due to high birth rates and immigration, then declined until the mid-2000s before experiencing a modest increase from 2006 to 2013. As of the 2022 census, white South Africans make up 7.3% of the population, predominantly speak Afrikaans (61%) or English (36%), mostly identify as

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

(87%), and are unevenly distributed with the highest concentrations in

Western Cape The Western Cape ( ; , ) is a provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the List of South African provinces by area, fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , an ...

and

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

provinces. Former South African leaders have made controversial statements about Afrikaners’ identity and race relations, while apartheid enforced white minority rule and granted “honorary white” status to certain Asian immigrants and some

African Americans African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa ...

. In South Africa, the legacy of apartheid continues to shape racial and economic dynamics. While some white South Africans report perceived discrimination, or resentment in the post-apartheid era, these narratives often emerge in response to reforms aimed at addressing deep historical inequalities. Despite isolated cases of white poverty, the white minority retains a disproportionate share of wealth and land. Notably, demographic health statistics, such as HIV prevalence, are sometimes cited in unrelated contexts, though they offer little insight into broader structural realities. The majority of Afrikaans-speaking (Afrikaners) and English-speaking White South Africans trace their ancestry to the 17th and 18th-century Dutch colonists or the 1820 British colonists. Other colonists included

Huguenots The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

who emigrated from

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, and Walloons who emigrated from present-day

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. The remainder of the White South African population consists of later immigrants from Lebanon, and Europe such as

Greeks Greeks or Hellenes (; , ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Greece, Greek Cypriots, Cyprus, Greeks in Albania, southern Albania, Greeks in Turkey#History, Anatolia, parts of Greeks in Italy, Italy and Egyptian Greeks, Egypt, and to a l ...

and

Norwegians Norwegians () are an ethnic group and nation native to Norway, where they form the vast majority of the population. They share a common culture and speak the Norwegian language. Norwegians are descended from the Norsemen, Norse of the Early ...

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

Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...

and

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

, although many also originate from

Madeira Madeira ( ; ), officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira (), is an autonomous Regions of Portugal, autonomous region of Portugal. It is an archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, in the region of Macaronesia, just under north of ...

History

Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias was the first European to explore Southern Africa (the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( ) is a rocky headland on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A List of common misconceptions#Geography, common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Afri ...

and the Cape Agulhas) in 1488. Cape_Colony00

The history of white settlement in South Africa started in 1652 with the settlement of the

by the

(VOC) under Jan van Riebeeck. Despite the preponderance of officials and colonists from the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, there were also a number of French

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

s fleeing

religious persecution Religious persecution is the systematic oppression of an individual or a group of individuals as a response to their religion, religious beliefs or affiliations or their irreligion, lack thereof. The tendency of societies or groups within socie ...

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

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

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

British Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of ...

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 practise

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-speaking white population migrated eastwards during the

Great Trek The Great 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 beyond the Cape's British colonial adminis ...

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

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

(mainly via

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, 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, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

) and immigrants from

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

and

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

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 Caucasian and from the lands where

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

and

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

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

Semitic people Semitic people or Semites is a 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 lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

the Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

, and the territories of the

Portuguese Empire The Portuguese Empire was a colonial empire that existed between 1415 and 1999. In conjunction with the Spanish Empire, it ushered in the European Age of Discovery. It achieved a global scale, controlling vast portions of the Americas, Africa ...

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 5,244,000 in 1994-95. Density of European Population in South Africa 1922

Density of European Population in South Africa 1922

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.

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 obviously is, or who is generally accepted as a white person, but does not include a person who, although in appearance obviously a white person, is generally accepted as a coloured person." Many criteria, both physical (e.g. examination of head and body hair) and social (e.g. eating and drinking habits, a native speaker of English, Afrikaans or another European language) were used when the board decided to classify someone as white or coloured. The Act was repealed on 17 June 1991.

Post-apartheid era

Black Economic Empowerment legislation further empowers blacks as the government considers ownership, employment, training and social responsibility initiatives, which empower black South Africans, as important criteria when awarding tenders; private enterprises 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 Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

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 2008, it was estimated that at least 800,000 white South Africans had emigrated since 1995. Like many other communities strongly affiliated with the

West West 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 Romance langu ...

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 Fact-checking is the process of verifying the factual accuracy of questioned reporting and statements. Fact-checking can be conducted before or after the text or content is published or otherwise disseminated. Internal fact-checking is such che ...

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 Affirmative action (also sometimes called reservations, alternative access, positive discrimination or positive action in various countries' laws and policies) refers to a set of policies and practices within a government or organization seeking ...

employment legislation, which reserves 80% of new jobs for black people and favours companies owned by black people (see Black Economic Empowerment). In 2010,

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

stated that 450,000 whites live below the poverty line according to

Solidarity Solidarity or solidarism is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. True solidarity means moving beyond individual identities and single issue politics ...

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 a financial, commercial and residential area, located in the northern part of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. Formerly an independent municipality, Sandton's name came from the combination of two of its suburbs, Sa ...

, have been affected by the 2008 13.5% rise in house robberies and associated crime. In a study, Johan Burger, senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), said that criminals were specifically targeting wealthier suburbs. Burger explained that several affluent suburbs are surrounded by poorer residential areas and that inhabitants in the latter often target inhabitants in the former. The report also found that residents in wealthy suburbs in

were not only at more risk of being targeted but also faced an inflated chance of being murdered during the robbery. The

2008 financial crisis The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...

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 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. It is located in Cape Town; the country's legislative capital city, capital. Under the present Constitution of South Africa, the bicameralism, bicameral Parliamen ...

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 political party in South Africa. It originated as a liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid and has governed the country since 1994, when the 1994 South African general election, fir ...

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 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" In 2025, 59 white South Africans arrived in the United States after U.S. president

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

granted them refugee status.

Demographics

South Africa 2011 White population proportion map

According to the

2022 South African census The South African National Census of 2022 is the 4th comprehensive census performed by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA). The census results were released on 10 October 2023 and recorded a total of 62 million people in the country. Key findi ...

, white South Africans make 7.3% of South Africa's population. The province with the highest percentage of white population is

at 16.4%, while the white population is below 5% in

Limpopo Limpopo () is the northernmost Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The term Limpopo is derived from Rivombo (Livombo/Lebombo), a ...

Mpumalanga Mpumalanga () is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name means "East", or literally "The Place Where the Sun Rises" in the Nguni languages. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, bordering Eswatini and Mozambique. It shares bor ...

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...

and North West. 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,

was the

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

of 61% of White South Africans, while English was the first language of 36%. 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

, 9% are irreligious, and 1% are

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

. 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 traditional denomination of the Dutch royal famil ...

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

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

(7%), and the

Anglican Church Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

(6%).

Migrations

Meanwhile, many white South Africans have also emigrated to Western countries over the past two decades, mainly to English-speaking countries such as the

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

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. However, the

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 comprised 7.7% of the total population of South Africa in 2022. Their proportional share in municipalities may be higher than census figures indicate, given an undercount in the 2001 census. The following table shows the distribution of white people by

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

, according to the 2011 census:

2022 census accuracy controversy

After the publication of the 2022 census results, it was reported that the undercount rate was 31%. The high undercount rate was reported as an issue of concern as it raised questions about the accuracy of the number of white, Indian, foreign-born and homeless people recorded in the census.

Politics

Charles Bell - Jan van Riebeeck se aankoms aan die Kaap

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 names Nxamalala and Msholozi. Zuma was a for ...

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

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 a term with varied meaning and has no single, consistent definition. It 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 ...

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 (; born 18 June 1942) is a South African politician who served as the 2nd democratic president of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008, when he resigned at the request of his party, the African National Cong ...

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 separation of people into race (human classification), racial or other Ethnicity, ethnic groups in daily life. Segregation can involve the spatial separation of the races, and mandatory use of different institutions, ...

called

. During

, immigrants from

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

, and

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

were considered ''

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

'' 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

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 pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only be ...

among white South Africans is stable or slightly falling: 80% used contraception in 1990, and 79% used it in 1998.

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

Discrimination

Democratic Alliance MP Gwen Ngwenya states that racism aimed at white people in South Africa is often overlooked compared to racism aimed at

black people Black is a racial 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 and often additional phenotypical ...

, noting that racism aimed at white people elicits little reaction from the populace. According to a comparative study by the trade union

, South African media give more attention to white-on-black racism, and the South African Human Rights Commission is much more likely to self-initiate investigations into white-on-black racism and is more lenient in cases of black-on-white racism. Milton Shain, professor emeritus of the Department of Historical Studies at the

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) (, ) is a public university, public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university status in 1918, making it the oldest univer ...

, noted that Indian, Coloureds, and white minorities are increasingly being scapegoated by South Africa's ruling

(ANC). In 2001, former South African president

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela ( , ; born Rolihlahla Mandela; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served as the first president of South Africa f ...

criticized the growing racial intolerance of black South Africans in their attitudes toward South Africans of other racial groups. After a black person was allegedly killed by two white people, businesses and properties owned by white people and other minorities in Coligny were targeted for destruction by members of the black community. According to Sharlene Swartz, a research specialist of the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), discourses expressing violent resentment towards white populations in South Africa are widespread, citing as an example student protests during which the inscription "Fuck White People" appeared on t-shirts and walls. Other reporting noted that on September 12, 2011, Julius Malema, the youth leader of South Africa's ruling ANC, was found guilty of hate speech for singing " Shoot the Boer" at a number of public events.

Public opinion

In a 2018 survey by the

South African Institute of Race Relations The South African Institute of Race Relations (IRR) is a research and policy organisation in South Africa. The IRR was founded in 1929 to improve and report upon race relations in South Africa between the politically dominant White South Africa ...

, white people were the ethnic group that most often reports having been the victim of racism, with 53% of respondents, compared to 47% of Coloureds, 23% of blacks and 20% of Indians. Anti-white tendencies were also reported in the workplace, with 31% of the population favoring hiring preference for blacks over whites, with only 16% of Indians, 13% of Coloureds, and 9% of whites agreeing, compared to 38% of blacks.

Health

6% of white South Africans have HIV.

Notable White South Africans

Science and technology

* Christiaan Barnard, surgeon who performed first successful human heart transplant * Johan Naude, surgeon and urologist, past president of the South African Urological Association and a pioneering transplant surgeon * Mike Botha, diamond cutter and educator; Yves Landry Award for Outstanding Innovation in Education, Canada * Peter Sarnak, Princeton's Eugene Higgins professor of mathematics, specialising in

number theory Number theory is a branch of pure mathematics devoted primarily to the study of the integers and arithmetic functions. Number theorists study prime numbers as well as the properties of mathematical objects constructed from integers (for example ...

* Stanley Skewes, mathematician whose work in number theory produced the record breaking Skewes number * Percy Deift, 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 wo ...

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 (biology), cell, a multicellular organism, or a Community (ecology), community of Biological inter ...

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

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

; Nobel Prize, Medicine 1979 * Gordon Murray, designer of Formula One race cars, including the Championship winning McLaren MP4/4 and the ultra-exclusive McLaren F1 Roadcar * Basil Schonland, physicist * Neil Turok, cosmologist * George F. R. Ellis, cosmologist * Max Theiler, virologist; Nobel Prize, Medicine 1951 * Phillip Tobias, palaeo-anthropologist * Seymour Papert, pioneer of

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...

Military

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

fighter ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

, 1st World War * Major William Bloomfield VC, South African East African campaign, 1st World War * Captain William Faulds VC MC, Delville Wood, 1st World War * Major John Frost DFC,

South African Air Force The South African Air Force (SAAF) is the air warfare branch of South African National Defence Force, with its headquarters in Pretoria. The South African Air Force was established on 1 February 1920. The Air Force saw service in World War II a ...

fighter ace during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

* Lieutenant Colonel Reginald Frederick Johnson Hayward VC, Western Front, 1st World War * Captain Petrus Hugo DSO DFC, fighter ace, Second World War * Squadron Leader Albert Gerald Lewis 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 () 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 defended the United Kingdom (UK) against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force ...

* Major Oswald Reid VC, 1st World War * Captain Clement Robertson VC, Western Front * Lieutenant Colonel John Sherwood-Kelly VC CMG DSO,

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

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 Britis ...

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

* Lieutenant Kevin Winterbottom HC, South African Air Force * Staff Sergeant

Danny Roxo Francisco Daniel "Danny" Roxo (1933–1976) was a Portuguese hunter, safari guide, and soldier. Born in Mogadouro, he emigrated to Niassa Province, Portuguese Mozambique during the 1950s, where he established himself as a professional hunter. Rox ...

HC, 32 Battalion,

South African Army The South African Army is the principal Army, 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 Servi ...

* General Constand Viljoen SSA SD SOE SM MMM MP, former South African military chief and former leader of the Freedom Front Plus *Air Vice Marshal John Frederick George Howe, CB, CBE, AFC (26 March 1930 – 27 January 2016) * Lieutenant General Deon Ferreira, (1946-2002) - was a South African Army officer. He served as Chief of Joint Operations before his retirement.

Royalty and aristocracy

Charlene, Princess of Monaco Charlene ( ;Since her marriage, her name has been Gallicised by adding a grave accent to her name in French documents. born Charlene Lynette Wittstock, 25 January 1978) is princess consort of Monaco, Princess of Monaco as the wife of Prince Albe ...

* Bruce Murray, 12th Duke of Atholl

Arts and media

* Jani Allan, columnist and radio commentator * Jodi Balfour, actress * Melinda Bam, Miss South Africa 2011 * Joyce Barker, opera singer - soprano * David Benatar, philosopher, academic and author * Carl Beukes, actor * David Bateson, voice actor in the ''

Hitman Contract killing (also known as murder-for-hire) is a form of murder or assassination in which one party hires another party to kill a targeted person or people. It involves an illegal agreement which includes some form of compensation, moneta ...

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

Neill Blomkamp Neill Blomkamp (; born 17 September 1979) is a South African and Canadian film director and screenwriter. He is known as the co-writer and director of the science fiction action film ''District 9'' (2009), for which he was nominated for the Aca ...

, director * Herman Charles Bosman, writer * Johan Botha, opera singer - tenor *

Breyten Breytenbach Breyten Breytenbach (; 16 September 193924 November 2024) was a South African writer, poet, and painter. He became internationally well-known as a dissident poet and vocal critic of South Africa under apartheid, and as a political prisoner of ...

, writer and painter * Andre Brink, novelist * Johnny Clegg, musician noted for performing in Juluka and Savuka * Penelope Coelen, Miss World 1958 * Mimi Coertse, soprano - opera singer *

J. M. Coetzee John Maxwell Coetzee Order of Australia, AC Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, FRSL Order of Mapungubwe, OMG (born 9 February 1940) is a South African and Australian novelist, essayist, linguist, and translator. The recipient of the 2003 ...

, novelist; Nobel Prize, Literature 2003 * Megan Coleman, Miss South Africa 2006 * Elizabeth Connell, opera singer - mezzo soprano, soprano * Sharlto Copley, actor * John Cranko, ballet dancer and choreographer * Robyn Curnow, CNN International's anchor * Riaan Cruywagen, South African International News anchor, TV presenter and voice artist * Frederick Dalberg, opera singer - bass * Embeth Davidtz, actress, South African-American, born to South African parents in

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

* Kurt Darren, singer * Theuns Jordaan, South African singer * Izak Davel, actor, dancer, singer and model * André Lötter, actor, emcee/ anchor & speaker * Die Antwoord, band; rap-rave group formed in

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

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

Athol Fugard Harold Athol Lanigan Fugard (; 11 June 19328 March 2025) was a South African playwright, novelist, actor and director. Widely regarded as South Africa's greatest playwright and acclaimed as "the greatest active playwright in the English-speaki ...

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

Goldfish The goldfish (''Carassius auratus'') is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of the 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 w ...

, electronic duo originating from Cape Town. * Nadine Gordimer, writer; Nobel Prize, Literature 1991 * Stefans Grové, composer and writer * Cariba Heine, actress * François Henning, singer * Sonja Herholdt, recording artist * Jacques Imbrailo, opera singer - baritone * Sid James, 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 in ...

* Trevor Jones, composer * Ingrid Jonker, poet * John Joubert, composer * Wouter Kellerman, Flutist, 2 time Grammy winner * Peter Klatzow, composer * Gé Korsten, opera singer - tenor, actor * Alice Krige, actress * Antjie Krog, writer * Kongos;

rock band ''Rock Band'' is a series of rhythm games first released in 2007 and developed by Harmonix. Based on their previous development work from the Guitar Hero, ''Guitar Hero'' series, the main ''Rock Band'' games have players use game controllers mod ...

* Caspar Lee, YouTuber, actor * Locnville, electro hop music duo * Lara Logan, journalist and

war correspondent A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories first-hand from a war, war zone. War correspondence stands as one of journalism's most important and impactful forms. War correspondents operate in the most conflict-ridden parts of the wor ...

* Eugène Nielen Marais, poet, writer, lawyer and naturalist * Monica Mason, ballet dancer and director of the Royal Ballet * Dalene Matthee, writer * Dave Matthews,

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

-winning singer-songwriter * Deon Meyer, writer * Shaun Morgan, singer and guitarist for the rock band Seether * Marita Napier, opera singer - soprano * Anton Nel, pianist * Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, Miss Universe 2017 * The Parlotones,

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

band from

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

* Alan Paton, writer * Debora Patta, journalist * Graham Payn, actor, singer * Madelaine Petsch, actress, model,

YouTuber A YouTuber is a content creator and social media influencer who uploads or creates videos on the online video-sharing website YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006 ...

* Brendan Peyper, singer * Tanit Phoenix, actress, fashion model * Josh Pieters, Youtuber *

Sasha Pieterse Sasha Pieterse Sheaffer (; born February 17, 1996) is a South African and American actress and singer. She is known for portraying Alison DiLaurentis in the Freeform (TV channel), Freeform series ''Pretty Little Liars'' (2010–2017), and its sp ...

, actress in the hit ABC family series ''

Pretty Little Liars ''Pretty Little Liars'' is an American Mystery fiction, mystery teen drama television series created by I. Marlene King, which aired on Freeform (TV channel), Freeform from June 8, 2010 to June 27, 2017, based on the novel series Pretty Little L ...

'' * Hubert du Plessis, composer * William Plomer, novelist, poet and literary editor *Sir Laurens van der Post, controversial author, conservationist, explorer, journalist and confidant to The Prince of Wales * Behati Prinsloo,

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 , . Models can be divided in ...

* Trevor Rabin, musician and composer, member of the rock band Yes * Basil Rathbone, actor * J. R. Rotem, productor, songwriter and music publisher * Neil Sandilands, actor, director and

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

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

band from

* Olive Schreiner, South African writer, remembered for her novel '' The Story of an African Farm'' (1883). * Leon Schuster, comedian, filmmaker, actor, presenter and singer * Sir Antony Sher, actor *

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

, YouTuber, singer (half Australian) * Cliff Simon, actor and athlete * Phyllis Spira, ballerina, Prima Ballerina Assoluta * Winston Sterzel, YouTuber, first China

vlog A vlog (), also known as a video blog or video log, 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 in one ta ...

ger and cofounder of ADVChina * Gerhard Steyn, singer * Miriam Stockley, singer * Rolene Strauss, Miss World 2014 * Tammin Sursok, actress, born in South Africa, but raised in Australia *

Candice Swanepoel Candice Susan Swanepoel (; ; born 20 October 1988) is a South African model. 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-earning models list. ...

. * Esta TerBlanche, actress and model * Charlize Theron,

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

-winning actor * ZP Theart, former singer for the British power metal band DragonForce, former singer for the American rock band Skid Row and singer for the British heavy metal band I Am I * J.R.R. Tolkien, writer and philologist * Elize du Toit, actress * Jakob Daniël du Toit, poet * Pieter-Dirk Uys, 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. Early satirical authors *Aes ...

, creator of ''Evita Bezuidenhout'' * Musetta Vander, actress * Kevin Volans, composer and pianist * Arnold Vosloo, actor * Casper de Vries, comedian * Justine Waddell, actress * Deon van der Walt, opera singer - tenor * Kyle Watson, record producer and DJ. * Amira Willighagen, 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, composer * N. P. van Wyk Louw, poet * Jean-Philip Grobler, South African-born musician and singer from a New York-based Indietronica band St. Lucia (musician).

Business

* Etienne de Villiers, investor; media and sports executive * Ivan Glasenberg, CEO of Glencore Xstrata, one of the world's largest commodity trading and mining companies *

Elon Musk Elon Reeve Musk ( ; born June 28, 1971) is a businessman. He is known for his leadership of Tesla, SpaceX, X (formerly Twitter), and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk has been considered the wealthiest person in th ...

, entrepreneur:

SpaceX Space Exploration Technologies Corp., commonly referred to as SpaceX, is an America, American space technology company headquartered at the SpaceX Starbase, Starbase development site in Starbase, Texas. Since its founding in 2002, the compa ...

, 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 E-commerce payment system, online money transfers; it serves as an electronic alter ...

; wealthiest person in the world as of May 2025 * Sol Kerzner, accountant and

business magnate A business magnate, also known as an industrialist or tycoon, is a person who is a powerful entrepreneur and investor who controls, through personal enterprise ownership or a dominant shareholding position, a firm or industry whose goods or ser ...

mainly in the casino resort sector * Harry Oppenheimer, chairman of Anglo American Corporation for 25 years and De Beers Consolidated Mines for 27 years * Nicky Oppenheimer, chairman of the De Beers diamond mining company and its subsidiary, the Diamond Trading Company * Anton Rupert, founder of the Rembrandt Group *

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

, 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 jew ...

and South Africa-based company Remgro * Desmond Sacco, Chairman and managing director of Assore Limited * Mark Shuttleworth, founder of

Ubuntu Ubuntu ( ) is a Linux distribution based on Debian and composed primarily of free and open-source software. Developed by the British company Canonical (company), Canonical and a community of contributors under a Meritocracy, meritocratic gover ...

, a

Linux Linux ( ) is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an kernel (operating system), operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically package manager, pac ...

based computer

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

; first African in

space Space is a three-dimensional continuum containing positions and directions. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions. Modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless ...

* Christo Wiese, consumer Retail business magnate * Clive Calder, record executive and businessman who co-founded the Zomba Group of Companies

Politics

* Louis Botha, farmer, soldier, statesman; first

Prime Minister of South Africa The prime minister of South Africa ( was the head of government in South Africa between 1910 and 1984. History of the office The position of Prime Minister was established in 1910, when the Union of South Africa was formed. He was appointed ...

* P. W. Botha, former

State President of South Africa The State President of the Republic of South Africa () was the head of state of South Africa from 1961 to 1994. The office was established when the country 1960 South African republic referendum, became a republic on 31 May 1961, outside the ...

F. W. de Klerk Frederik Willem de Klerk ( , ; 18 March 1936 – 11 November 2021) was a South African politician who served as the seventh and final state president of South Africa from 1989 to 1994 and as Deputy President of South Africa, deputy president a ...

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

Governor-General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

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 ANC member of Parliament * Nicholas Haysom, Former legal adviser to

, former United Nations Special Representative to

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

Geordin Hill-Lewis Geordin Gwyn Hill-Lewis (born 31 December 1986) is a South African politician who is the Mayor of Cape Town. A member of the Democratic Alliance (South Africa), Democratic Alliance, he was elected mayor in November 2021. Hill-Lewis attended Edge ...

, Mayor of Cape Town * Sandra Laing, white girl reclassified as "Coloured" during the apartheid era * D. F. Malan, former

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

South African Republic The South African Republic (, abbreviated ZAR; ), also known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer republics, Boer republic in Southern Africa which existed from 1852 to 1902, when it was annexed into the British Empire as a result ...

* Harry Schwarz, lawyer, politician, diplomat and anti-apartheid leader *

Joe Slovo Yossel Mashel "Joe" Slovo (23 May 1926 – 6 January 1995) was a South African politician and Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist. A Marxist-Leninist, he was a long-time leader and theorist in the South African Com ...

, former leader of the South African Communist Party played key part in constitutional negotiations in the 1990s *

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

Jan Smuts, soldier, politician and former Prime Minister of South Africa during both World Wars. Only person to sign both world war peace treaties on the winning side. * Jan Steytler, first leader of Progressive Party of South Africa, former MP *

Helen Suzman Helen Suzman, Order for Meritorious Service, OMSG, Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, DBE (née Gavronsky; 7 November 1917 – 1 January 2009) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist and p ...

, anti-apartheid activist and former MP, solo anti-apartheid parliamentarian from 1961 to 1974 representing Progressive Party (South Africa), served on first Independent Electoral Commission supervising first non-racial national elections in South Africa * Colin Eglin, former leader of the Progressive Party (South Africa) and its successors and former MP, played key role in building up parliamentary opposition to apartheid in the 1970s and 1980s, and in constitutional negotiations in the 1990s * Zach de Beer, former Progressive Party (South Africa) MP, subsequent leader of Democratic Party 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 The eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality () is a metropolitan municipality (South Africa), metropolitan municipality, created in 2000, that includes the city of Durban and surrounding towns. eThekwini is one of the 11 Districts of South Africa, di ...

* Eugène Terre'Blanche, former leader of the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging; murdered * Andries Treurnicht, former Leader of the Opposition (South Africa) from 1987 to 1993 * Marthinus van Schalkwyk, previous Minister of Tourism and ANC member of Parliament; played a key role in merging the National Party into the ANC * Hendrik Verwoerd, former Prime Minister of South Africa; primary architect of

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

; assassinated in

, in the

House of Assembly House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level. Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible g ...

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

Sport

* Angélico, professional wrestler * Andrew Surman, former footballer * Steve Nash, basketball player * Willem Alberts, professional rugby player * Kevin Anderson, professional tennis player * Jethren Barr, professional footballer * Clive Barker, former footballer and football coach, led the South Africa national football team to victory in the 1996 African Cup of Nations * Matthew Booth, former footballer * Francois Botha,

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...

* Michael Botha, professional rugby player * Mark Boucher, former professional cricketer * Vincent Breet, rower * Okkert Brits, former

pole vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a #bar, bar. Pole jumping was already practiced by the ...

er, holds the African record and only African in the " 6 metres club" * Schalk Brits, professional rugby player *

Zola Budd Zola Budd (also known as Zola Pieterse; born 26 May 1966) is a South African Middle-distance running, middle-distance and Long-distance running, long-distance runner. She competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics, 1984 Olympic Games for Great Britain ...

, former

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

runner, broke the world record in the women's 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 title * Tony Coyle, former footballer * Hansie Cronje, professional cricketer * Lood de Jager, professional rugby player *

Faf de Klerk François de Klerk (born 19 October 1991) known by his nickname Faf, is a South African professional rugby union player who plays scrum-half for Japan Rugby League One club Yokohama Canon Eagles and the South Africa national team. He was a ...

, professional rugby player * Quinton de Kock, professional cricketer * Roger De Sá, former footballer * AB de Villiers, former cricketer * Giniel de Villiers, racing driver and winner of the 2009 Dakar Rally * Jean de Villiers, former professional rugby player * Allan Donald, professional cricketer * Dricus du Plessis, mixed martial artist *

Faf du Plessis François "Faf" du Plessis ( ; born 13 July 1984) is a South African professional cricketer and former captain of the South Africa national cricket team. He is considered one of the greatest fielders of all time and among the best all-format ...

, professional cricketer * Natalie du Toit, paralympian swimmer * Pieter-Steph du Toit, professional rugby player * Thomas du Toit, professional rugby player * Ernie Els, professional golfer, former World No. 1 and winner of four Majors * Eben Etzebeth, professional rugby player * Brett Evans, former footballer and current football coach * Paul Evans, former footballer * Rowen Fernández, former footballer * Lyndon Ferns, former swimmer and gold medallist in the 4x100m freestyle relay at the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

* Wayne Ferreira, former tennis player * Mark Fish, former footballer * Dean Furman, footballer, captain of South African team * Retief Goosen, professional golfer, twice US Open champion * Penny Heyns, former swimmer, the only woman in the history of the

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

to have won both the 100 m and 200 m breaststroke events, at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

* Pierre Issa, former footballer * Liam Jordan, footballer * Steven Kitshoff, professional rugby player * Vincent Koch, professional rugby player *

Johan Kriek Johan Christiaan Kriek (born April 5, 1958) is a South African–American former professional tennis player. As a tennis player, he won two Australian Open titles and reached the semifinals at the French Open and US Open, as well as the quarte ...

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

butterfly Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...

at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

in London * Adam Rose, professional wrestler, formerly signed with

World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

* Paul Lloyd Jr., professional wrestler, formerly signed with

where he performed under the name Justin Gabriel * Francois Louw, professional rugby player * Calvin Marlin, former footballer * Malcolm Marx, professional rugby player *

Victor Matfield Victor Matfield (born 11 May 1977) is a South African former professional rugby union player. He played for and South African rugby union captains, captained the South Africa national rugby union team, South Africa national team (Springboks) as ...

, former professional rugby player * Hank McGregor, surf skier and

kayak ] A kayak is a small, narrow human-powered watercraft typically propelled by means of a long, double-bladed paddle. The word ''kayak'' originates from the Inuktitut word '' qajaq'' (). In British English, the kayak is also considered to be ...

marathon champion * Elana Meyer, former

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance ru ...

, set 15 km road running and half marathon African records *

Percy Montgomery Percival Colin Montgomery (born 15 March 1974) is a Namibian-born South African former professional rugby union player. When he ended his international career in August 2008, he held the all-time records for both cap (sport), caps and points fo ...

, former rugby union player and current record holder for both caps and points for the Springboks * Charan Moore, is a South African motorcycle racer * 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

* Ricardo Nunes, footballer * Louis Oosthuizen, professional golfer, winner of 2010 Open Championship * François Pienaar, former captain of the Springboks, leading South Africa to victory in the 1995 Rugby World Cup * Kevin Pietersen, former England international cricketer * Oscar Pistorius, former paralympic athlete; convicted of the murder of his girlfriend *

Handré Pollard Handré Pollard (born 11 March 1994) is a South African professional rugby union player who currently plays for the South Africa national rugby union team, South Africa national team and in the United Rugby Championship. His regular playing pos ...

, professional rugby player * Jacques Potgieter, former professional rugby player * Gary Player, former professional golfer, winner of 9 major titles and 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 WBO heavyweight champion; murdered in 2012 * Jody Scheckter, former

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

auto-racer and winner of

1979 Formula One season The 1979 Formula One season was the 33rd season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1979 ''List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions, World Championship of F1 Drivers''FIA Yearbook 1980, Grey Section, page 84 and the 1979 ''Li ...

* Louis Schreuder, professional rugby player * Roland Schoeman, swimmer and gold medallist in the 4x100m freestyle relay at the

* 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 Springboks, leading South Africa to victory in the

2007 Rugby World Cup The 2007 Rugby World Cup () was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by F ...

* Graeme Smith, former captain of the 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 * Mark Anderson, former goalkeeper of the South Africa national football team * 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

* Andrew Tucker, former footballer * Hans Vonk, former footballer,

's first choice goalkeeper during

1998 Fifa World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 1 ...

* Cameron van der Burgh, swimmer who represented South Africa at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

and at the

winning gold at the 100-metre 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 * Lars Veldwijk, footballer * Duane Vermeulen, professional rugby player * Douglas Whyte,

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

jockey, 13-time Hong Kong champion jockey * Ivan Winstanley, former footballer * Kaylene Corbett, South African professional swimmer * Lara van Niekerk, South African professional swimmer * Neil Winstanley, former footballer * Pieter Coetze, South African professional swimmer * Tatjana Schoenmaker, South African professional swimmer * Brad Binder, South African motorcycle racer, competing in

MotoGP Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the highest class of motorcycle road racing events held on Road racing, road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held sin ...

with the Red Bull KTM Team, winner of the 2016 Moto3 world championship

Other

* Mariette Bosch, murderer executed by the government of Botswana in 2001 for the murder of South African Ria Wolmarans * Micki Pistorius, forensic and investigative psychologist and author

References

{{authority control * *

History

Apartheid era

Post-apartheid era

Diaspora and emigration

Current trends

Demographics

Religion

Migrations

Distribution

2022 census accuracy controversy

Politics

Statistics

Historical population

Fertility rates

Life expectancy

Unemployment

Income

Percentage of workforce

Languages

Religion

Discrimination

Public opinion

Health

Notable White South Africans

Science and technology

Military

Royalty and aristocracy

Arts and media

Business

Politics

Sport

Other

See also

References