south Africans on the world stage

demi-leigh nel-peters

Miss Universe 2017
​Western Cape
​Advocate for Disabled
B.A. Business Management
​

Charlene wittstock

Charlene HSH of Monaco
Born in Rhodesia. Emigrated to SA
Olympic swimmer (2002-07)
Married Prince of Monaco 2011

margaret gardiner

​First SA Miss Universe 1978
Cape Town
​Author, Journalist
BA in Psychology

juliet prowse

International star of stage, screen
​& television. Starred with Elvis,
sang & danced with Sinatra.

dr. Christian barnhard

Performed the world's first
human-to-human heart transplant
​on December 3, 1967.

Gary player

Won nine major championships
on the PGA tour and
six Champions Tour victories.

allan cormack

Physicist awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology for his work on
​X-ray computed tomography (CT).

roger federer

Arguably greatest tennis player of all time & most marketable athlete in sports history.
Dual Swiss, SA. Mother from Johannesburg.

dave matthews

Sold more tickets, earned more
​revenue that any performer
in North America 2000-2010.

charlize theron

Academy Award Winner
for Best Actress.

elon musk

Business Magnate, Investor,
Engineer, Inventor.

natalie du toit

Gold Medals Swimming 2004 Paralympic, Commonwealth Games.

arnold vosloo

Widely recognized film
and television actor.

A.B. Devilliers

The Definition
of a Cricketing Genius.

branden grace

First golfer to record sub-63 score
in a major at British Open, July 2017.

kevin richardson

The Lion Whisperer.
World Renown Animal Biologist.

Mark shuttleworth

Entrepreneur, Space Tourist.
​First South African in space 2002. 

Chris de clos

Gold Medalist 2012 Olympics.
Named Greatest Swimmer of 2014.

Nick Price

Number One World Ranking 90's.
​Won 2 PGA Championships

basil rathbone

The Quintessential Sherlock Holmes.
SA born Shakespearean stage actor.

percy montgomery

International career. Held all-time rugby records for both caps & points SA Nat'l Team.

j.R.R. Tolkien

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien
Born 1892, Bloemfontein, Orange Free State (modern-day South Africa)

amanda coetzer

Career high #3 on World Tour.
Only player in Open Era to beat three different No. 1 ranked players.

wayne fierra

Tied 6th All Time Grand Slam Appearances. 
Won 2000 Hopman Cup w Amanda Coetzer. Reached #9 Men's Tour.

megan mckenzie

Model and international cover girl.
Sister of South African international cricketer Neil McKenzie.

johan Kreik

Won 2 Grand Slam Tennis Championships.
​Reached #9 on men's world tour.

zola budd

Olympic 'bare foot' runner. In 1984, at age 17, broke women's 5000m world record. Won cross country World Champs 1985-86.

bruce fordyce

Marathon & Ultramarathon athlete.
​Current world record holder over 50 km. Former world record holder over 100 km.

okkert brits

Pole Vault
​Gold medal 2002 Commonwealth Games.
Four time winner African Championships.

kevin curren

Won four Grand Slam doubles titles.
Played in two GS singles championships.
Career-high singles World No. 5.

MAX THEILER

Nobel Prize 1951
Physiology or Medicine
For discoveries on combating Yellow Fever.

oscar pistorius

#1 Ranking Men's 100m, 200m, 400m.
First amputee to win non-disabled
world track medal.

penelope cOelen

1st South African Winner
​Miss World 1958
From Durban, SA.

cliff drysdale

The preeminent tennis analyst on television.
Highest ranked SA player on world tour #4.
Original member of WCT pro tennis tour.

john Maxwell 'j' coetzee

Nobel Prize Winner
​for Literature 2003.

embez davidtz

Screen roles include film
Schindler's List, Bicentennial Man & television series Mad Men.

Kevin shirley

Music producer Johannesburg. Mixed tracks for many of the world's best selling artists: Journey, Rush, Led Zeppelin, Dream Theater, Joe Satriani, and Europe

sir ronald harwood

Cape Town. Royal Shakespeare Company, author, playwright, novelist, Best Adapted Screenplay for 'The Pianist' 2003. Multiple other nominations.

paul maritz

Third in command at Microsoft prior to departure in 2000. Born in Zimbabwe, raised in SA. Currently head of big data and PaaS company, Pivotal.