63 Notable alumni of University of South Africa
Updated: May 09, 2026 EliteDegrees
University of South Africa is ranked #899 in the world and #7 in South Africa by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 63 notable alumni from University of South Africa sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with University of South Africa won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Bakone Justice Moloto
1944-. (aged 82)
lawyer
judge
Bakone Justice Moloto is a South African former lawyer, who served as a judge at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague.
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2. Alice Mogwe
1961-. (aged 65)
human rights defender
lawyer
president
founder
Alice Bahumi Mogwe is a Motswana activist and lawyer. She is the founder and director of the human rights organization Ditshwanelo.
3. Jessie Majome
1971-. (aged 55)
lawyer
politician
Fungayi Jessie Majome was a Member of the National Assembly of the Parliament of Zimbabwe for Harare West constituency on an MDC-T ticket elected 1st in 2008 and then in 2013. She was the Chairperson of Parliament of Zimbabwe's Portfolio Committee on Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs. She was a member of the Parliamentary Legal Committee and the Portfolio Committee...
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4. Nomathemba Mokgethi
politician
Nomathemba Emily Mokgethi is a South African politician who served as the Gauteng Health MEC from 2020 to 2022 and has been a member of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature since 2018. She was the provincial MEC for Social Development between June and December 2020. Mokgethi is a member of the African National Congress.
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5. Beric John Croome
1960-2019 (aged 59)
barrister
Beric John Croome was a chartered accountant, Advocate of the High Court of South Africa and one of South Africa's tax law scholars.
6. Augusta Vera Duthie
1881-1963 (aged 82)
academic
scientific collector
mycologist
botanical collector
botanist
Augusta Vera Duthie was a South African botanist who studied the plants of the Western Cape and was a popular teacher who lectured on cryptogamic botany. She was the first university lecturer in botany who was entirely educated in South Africa. The standard author abbreviation A.V.Duthie is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name.
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7. Elizabeth de la Porte
1941-2020 (aged 79)
harpsichordist
Elizabeth de la Porte FRCM was a South African harpsichordist, Baroque tutor and pianist. She was renowned for bringing to her performances a rhythmic drive and excitement while allowing the instrument to sing, with extraordinary seamless and legato lines and expressive phrasing. During her performing career she made many public appearances, in the UK, continental Europe (Vienna, Geneva etc.), and...
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8. Anja Marais
1974-. (aged 52)
sculptor
photographer
artist
Anja Marais is a South African sculptor and multi-disciplinary artist. She has completed residencies in Japan, Korea, Russia and Florida and completed solo and group shows in Asia, Europe and the US.
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9. Hendrick Schmidt
1963-. (aged 63)
lawyer
politician
Hendrik Schmidt is a South African politician, a Member of Parliament with the Democratic Alliance, and the Shadow Deputy Minister of Mining.
10. George Earle
1987-. (aged 39)
rugby union player
George Earle is a South African rugby union footballer. His regular playing position is lock.
11. Wim Richter
1946-2019 (aged 73)
scientist
Paul Wilhelm Richter was a South African chemist and principal researcher involved in bioceramic research activities. He is most widely known for his development of the bioceramic hydroxyapatite orbital implant.
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12. Augustus Theodore Wirgman
1846-1917 (aged 71)
priest
Augustus Theodore Wirgman, DD was an Anglican priest in the second half of the 19th century and the early part of the 20th, most notably Archdeacon of Port Elizabeth from 1907 until his death.
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13. Glenn Babb
1943-. (aged 83)
diplomat
politician
Glenn Robin Ware Babb was a former politician and diplomat for the former apartheid government in South Africa. More recently he was a businessman and entrepreneur. From 1985 to 1987 he had a high-profile posting in Canada where he was his government's ambassador to Ottawa and made frequent public statements against the anti-apartheid movement and in defence of his government...
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14. Mark Pilgrim
1969-2023 (aged 54)
radio personality
television presenter
Mark Pilgrim was a South African media personality who hosted numerous radio and television shows, most notably as a DJ on 5FM, Eastrand-oos Rand Stereo, 94.7 Highveld Stereo, 94.5 Kfm, Hot919 and Hot102.7fm. On television, he hosted both seasons of Big Brother South Africa, the first season of Big Brother Africa, and the M-Net game show Power of 10.
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15. Edna Molewa
1957-2018 (aged 61)
politician
minister
Bomo Edith Edna Molewa, formerly known as Edna Sethema, was a South African politician and member of the African National Congress. Molewa became the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs of South Africa on 31 October 2010, as part of a cabinet reshuffle by President Jacob Zuma. On 25 May 2014 her Ministry has been divided and she was appointed...
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16. Sindiwe Magona
1943-. (aged 83)
writer
children's writer
poet
autobiographer
Sindiwe Magona is a South African writer.
17. Anton Muziwakhe Lembede
1914-1947 (aged 33)
lawyer
politician
Anton Muziwakhe Lembede OLG was a South African activist and founding president of the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL). He has been described as "the principal architect of South Africa's first full-fledged ideology of African nationalism." Lembede had a strong influence on Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu and Oliver Tambo. Lembede was regarded as the progenitor of the "Programme of...
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18. Cleopas Dlamini
1952-. (aged 74)
politician
business executive
Cleopas Sipho Dlamini is a Liswati business executive who served as the prime minister of Eswatini from 2021 to 2023.
19. Es'kia Mphahlele
1919-2008 (aged 89)
university teacher
writer
journalist
Es'kia Mphahlele was a South African writer, educationist, artist and activist celebrated as the Father of African Humanism and one of the founding figures of modern African literature.
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20. Benedict Wallet Vilakazi
1906-1947 (aged 41)
translator
poet
linguist
writer
Benedict Wallet Vilakazi was a South African novelist, linguist, a descendant of the Zulu royal family, and a radically innovative poet who created a combination of traditional and Romantic poetry in the Zulu language. Vilakazi was also a professor at the University of Witwatersrand, where he became the first Black South African to teach University classes to White South Africans....
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21. Ernest George Jansen
1881-1959 (aged 78)
lawyer
writer
politician
Ernest George Jansen was the penultimate Governor-General of the Union of South Africa, holding office from 1951 until his death in 1959.
22. Glynnis Breytenbach
1960-. (aged 66)
lawyer
politician
Glynnis Breytenbach is a former prosecutor for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) of South Africa and is a Member of Parliament for the Democratic Alliance (DA). She was Shadow Minister of Justice when the DA was the official opposition to the ANC. In this capacity, she has called for an end to ongoing political interference that has compromised the integrity...
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23. Chenjerai Hove
1956-2015 (aged 59)
poet
writer
Chenjerai Hove, was a Zimbabwean poet, novelist and essayist who wrote in both English and Shona. "Modernist in their formal construction, but making extensive use of oral conventions, Hove's novels offer an intense examination of the psychic and social costs - to the rural population, especially, of the war of liberation in Zimbabwe." He died on 12 July 2015 while...
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24. Rosa Namises
1958-. (aged 68)
politician
Visolela Rosalinda "Rosa" Namises, nicknamed the "Rosa Luxemburg of Namibia", is a Namibian politician, human-rights activist and chief of a faction of the ǀKhomanin, a clan of the Damara people. She is a former member of Parliament and founding member and former secretary-general of the Namibian Congress of Democrats (CoD). A prominent voice on gender issues, human-rights violations, and violence...
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25. Ben Martins
1956-. (aged 70)
politician
minister
Dikobe Ben Martins, is a former Minister of Energy and has held other posts in the Cabinet of South Africa. He has served in Parliament since 1994 and has been a Central Committee Member of the South African Communist Party.
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26. Harriet Margaret Louisa Bolus
1877-1970 (aged 93)
botanical collector
botanist
curator
scientific collector
taxonomist
Harriet Margaret Louisa Bolus née Kensit was a South African botanist and taxonomist, and the longtime curator of the Bolus Herbarium, from 1903. Bolus also has the legacy of authoring more land plant species than any other female scientist, in total naming 1,494 species.
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27. Pakalitha Mosisili
1945-. (aged 81)
politician
minister
Bethuel Pakalitha Mosisili is a former Mosotho politician who was the fourth prime minister of Lesotho from May 1998 to June 2012 and again from March 2015 to June 2017. He led the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) to a near-total victory in the 1998 election, and under his leadership the party also won majorities in the 2002 and 2007...
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28. Dikgang Moseneke
1947-. (aged 79)
chairperson
lawyer
judge
Dikgang Ernest Moseneke OLG is a South African jurist and former Deputy Chief Justice of South Africa.
29. Tshilidzi Marwala
1971-. (aged 55)
computer scientist
engineer
Tshilidzi Marwala is a South African artificial intelligence engineer, a computer scientist, a mechanical engineer and a university administrator. He is currently Rector of the United Nations University and UN Under-Secretary-General. In August 2023 Marwala was appointed to the United Nations scientific advisory council.
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30. Jean-Bertrand Aristide
1953-. (aged 73)
Catholic priest
politician
Jean-Bertrand Aristide is a Haitian former Salesian priest and politician who served as president of Haiti in 1991, from 1993 to 1994, from 1994 to 1996, and from 2001 to 2004. He was in exile after the 1991 military coup until 1994 and again after his overthrow in 2004 until 2011. Aristide was a member of the Lavalas Political Organization...
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31. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela
1936-2018 (aged 82)
politician
Nomzamo Winifred Zanyiwe Madikizela-Mandela, also known as Winnie Mandela, was a South African politician, anti-apartheid activist, and second wife of Nelson Mandela. During her political career, she served as a Member of Parliament from 1994 to 2003, and from 2009 until her death, and was a deputy minister of arts and culture from 1994 to 1996. A member of the...
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32. Mmusi Maimane
1980-. (aged 46)
politician
Mmusi Aloysias Maimane is a South African politician, businessman, and leader of Build One South Africa, a political party. Maimane is also the former Leader of South Africa's opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) political party from 10 May 2015 to 23 October 2019, and the former Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly of South Africa from 29 May 2014...
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33. David Mabuza
1960-2025 (aged 65)
minister
head teacher
politician
David Dabede Mabuza, also known as DD Mabuza, was a South African politician who served as deputy president of South Africa from February 2018 to February 2023. He was the deputy president of the African National Congress (ANC) from December 2017 to December 2022 and was previously the premier of Mpumalanga from 2009 to 2018, throughout the presidency of his...
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34. Ahmed Kathrada
1929-2017 (aged 88)
activist
anti-apartheid activist
politician
Ahmed Mohamed Kathrada OMSG, sometimes known by the nickname "Kathy", was a South African politician and anti-apartheid activist.
35. Gwede Mantashe
1955-. (aged 71)
minister
politician
trade unionist
Samson Gwede Mantashe is a South African politician and former trade unionist who is currently serving as the Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources. He has been responsible for the mineral resources portfolio since February 2018, formerly as Minister of Mineral Resources from February 2018 to May 2019 and then as Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy from May 2019...
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36. Tom Thabane
1939-. (aged 87)
politician
minister
Thomas Motsoahae Thabane is a Mosotho politician who was the fifth Prime Minister of Lesotho from 2012 to 2015 and from 2017 to 2020. He founded the All Basotho Convention (ABC) in 2006 and led the party until 2022.
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37. Edwin Cameron
1953-. (aged 73)
lawyer
judge
Edwin Cameron SCOB is a retired judge who served as a Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa. He is well known for his HIV/AIDS and gay-rights activism and was hailed by Nelson Mandela as "one of South Africa's new heroes". President Ramaphosa appointed him as Inspecting Judge of Correctional Services from 1 January 2020 and in October 2019...
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38. Angelique Rockas
1951-. (aged 75)
dancer
researcher
television actor
theatre practitioner
theatrical producer
Angelique Rockas is an actress, producer and activist. Rockas founded the theatre company Internationalist Theatre in the UK with her patron Athol Fugard. The theatre featured multi-racial casts in classical plays."a historic example of theatre work addressing representation in the most valuable manner" As an actress Rockas`s work has been characterized by "her strong interpretation of roles".
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39. Velenkosini Hlabisa
1965-. (aged 61)
politician
Velenkosini Fiki Hlabisa is a South African politician and former teacher who is currently serving as Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs in the Government of National Unity (GNU) since June 2024. He has been President of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) since 2019 and a member of South Africa's National Assembly where he serves as his party's leader...
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40. Cyril Ramaphosa
1952-. (aged 74)
minister
politician
entrepreneur
trade unionist
businessperson
Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa is a South African businessman and politician serving as the president of South Africa since 2018. A former anti-apartheid activist and trade union leader, Ramaphosa is also the president of the African National Congress (ANC).
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41. Desmond Tutu
1931-2021 (aged 90)
political activist
non-fiction writer
archbishop
Anglican priest
human rights defender
Desmond Mpilo Tutu was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbishop of Cape Town from 1986 to 1996, in both cases being the first Black African to hold the position. Theologically, he sought to fuse ideas from...
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42. Fernando Pessoa
1888-1935 (aged 47)
philosopher
essayist
poet
literary critic
translator
Fernando António Nogueira de Seabra Pessoa was a Portuguese poet, writer, literary critic, translator, and publisher. He has been described as one of the most significant literary figures of the 20th century and one of the greatest poets in the Portuguese language. He also wrote in and translated from English and French.
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43. Thabo Mbeki
1942-. (aged 84)
minister
economist
politician
Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki is a South African politician and economist who served as the 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). Before that, he was deputy president under Nelson Mandela from 1994 to 1999.
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44. Kevin Pietersen
1980-. (aged 46)
cricketer
Kevin Peter Pietersen MBE is a former England international cricketer. He is regarded as one of the greatest English batsmen to have played the game, and renowned for his competitive, and often controversial nature. He was a right-handed batsman and occasional off spin bowler who played in all three formats for England between 2004 and 2014, which included a brief...
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45. Julius Malema
1981-. (aged 45)
politician
Julius Sello Malema is a South African politician. He is the founder and leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), a communist and black nationalist political party since 2013. Before the foundation of EFF, he served as a president of the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) from 2008 until his expulsion from the party in 2012.
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46. Antjie Krog
1952-. (aged 74)
writer
playwright
translator
poet
literary critic
Antjie Krog 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 faculty of the University of the Western Cape as Extraordinary Professor.
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47. Danny Jordaan
1951-. (aged 75)
anti-apartheid activist
association football player
politician
Daniel Alexander "Danny" Jordaan is the president of the South African Football Association (SAFA). He is a former lecturer, politician and anti-apartheid activist. He led South Africa's successful 2010 FIFA World Cup bid, the first successful one for Africa, as well as the country's unsuccessful bid four years earlier for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and was the chief executive...
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48. Frederick Brownell
1940-2019 (aged 79)
vexillologist
heraldist
Frederick Gordon Brownell OMSS SM & Bar MMM KStJ was a South African herald, vexillologist, and genealogist.
49. Busisiwe Mkhwebane
1970-. (aged 56)
lawyer
Busisiwe Mkhwebane is a South African advocate and prosecutor who served as the 4th Public Protector of South Africa from October 2016 until her impeachment in September 2023. Following her impeachment, she served as a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa from October 2023 to October 2024, representing the EFF. She is the first head of a Chapter...
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50. William Frederick Nkomo
1915-1972 (aged 57)
physician
William Frederick Nkomo was a South African medical doctor, community leader, political activist and teacher from Pretoria. He was the founding chairman of the African National Congress Youth League. While at the University of the Witwatersrand, Nkomo was the first black student to serve on the Students Representative Committee.
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51. Snowy Khoza
businessperson
chief executive officer
Snowy Joyce Khoza is a South African who is chief executive officer of Bigen Africa and President of Agape Christian Women.
52. Bulelani Ngcuka
1954-. (aged 72)
lawyer
politician
Bulelani T. Ngcuka is a South African attorney, prosecutor and activist, who served as the first Director of Public Prosecutions in South Africa, and is the husband of former Deputy President of South Africa Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.
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53. Nelson Mandela
1918-2013 (aged 95)
autobiographer
lawyer
screenwriter
political activist
political prisoner
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid activist and statesman who was the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first Black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. His administration focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid by fostering racial reconciliation, a national peace accord and...
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54. Robert Mugabe
1924-2019 (aged 95)
politician
Robert Gabriel Mugabe was a Zimbabwean revolutionary and politician who led Zimbabwe from 1980 until he was deposed in a coup in 2017. He served as the first Prime Minister of Zimbabwe from internationally recognised independence in 1980 to 1987, then as the second president of Zimbabwe from 1987 to 2017. He was also the Leader of the Zimbabwe African...
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55. Robert Sobukwe
1924-1978 (aged 54)
educator
activist
Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe OMSG was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and founding member of the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), serving as the first president of the organization.
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56. Mosibudi Mangena
1947-. (aged 79)
politician
minister
Mosibudi Mangena OLS is a South Africa politician, former President of the Azanian People's Organisation (AZAPO). He is also currently the honorary President of AZAPO while Nelvis Qekema is the current President, this is not unusual in the Black Consciousness Movement as was the case with Steve Biko who was also the honorary President of the Black People's Convention in...
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57. Mogoeng Mogoeng
1961-. (aged 65)
judge
Mogoeng Thomas Reetsang Mogoeng is a South African jurist who served as the Chief Justice of South Africa from 8 September 2011 until his retirement on 11 October 2021.
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58. Peya Mushelenga
1975-. (aged 51)
politician
minister
Samuel Abraham Peyavali "Peya" Mushelenga is a Namibian politician and poet. He is broadly educated, holding fifteen academic qualifications from seven different universities.
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59. Lazarus Chakwera
1955-. (aged 71)
theologian
teacher
politician
Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera is a Malawian politician, theologian, and pastor who served as the sixth president of Malawi from 2020 to 2025. A member of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), he has served as the party's president since 2013. He also served as President of the Malawian Assemblies of God from 1989 to 2013, and during his presidency concurrently served...
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60. Charlotte Osei
1969-. (aged 57)
lawyer
Charlotte Kesson-Smith Osei is a Ghanaian lawyer and former chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Ghana from 2015 until she was dismissed in June 2018 on grounds of financial malfeasance. Her dismissal has been challenged in the Supreme Court of Ghana in two separate writs. She became the first female to serve in the office of the Electoral Commission of...
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61. Gifty Oware-Mensah
1986-. (aged 40)
chief executive officer
politician
executive director
Gifty Oware-Mensah is a Ghanaian politician and former deputy executive director of the National Service Scheme in Ghana. She had responsibility for administration and finance, helping to manage an annual personnel pool of about 100,000.
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62. Tokyo Sexwale
1953-. (aged 73)
businessperson
minister
anti-apartheid activist
politician
Mosima Gabriel "Tokyo" Sexwale is a South African businessman, politician, anti-apartheid activist, and former political prisoner. For many years, Sexwale was imprisoned on Robben Island for his anti-apartheid activities, alongside figures such as Nelson Mandela. After the 1994 general election—the first fully democratic election in South Africa—Sexwale became the Premier of Gauteng Province.
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63. Chris Miles
1947-. (aged 79)
teacher
politician
Christopher Gordon Miles is an Australian former politician. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 1984 to 1998, representing the Tasmanian seat of Braddon. He served as parliamentary secretary to Prime Minister John Howard and was a prominent social conservative within the Liberal Party, chairing the conservative Lyons Forum ginger group. Prior to entering politics, he worked...
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