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100 Notable alumni of University of the Witwatersrand

Updated: June 23, 2026 EliteDegrees

University of the Witwatersrand is ranked #385 in the world and #2 in South Africa by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 100 notable alumni from University of the Witwatersrand 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 the Witwatersrand won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.

Kevin Mileham

1. Kevin Mileham

1971-. (aged 55)
politician
Kevin John Mileham is a South African politician, a Member of the South African Parliament for the Democratic Alliance and the Shadow Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy. Mileham was first elected to Parliament on 3 June 2013, replacing Athol Trollip. His first parliamentary role was as the Shadow Deputy Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development. After the 2014...
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Ferial Haffajee

2. Ferial Haffajee

1967-. (aged 59)
journalist
Ferial Haffajee is a South African journalist and newspaper editor. Haffajee was editor of City Press newspaper from July 2009 until July 2016 and was previously the editor of the Mail & Guardian newspaper.
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Sonja Schlesin

3. Sonja Schlesin

1888-1956 (aged 68)
social activist secretary secondary school teacher
Sonja Schlesin was a South African best known for her work with Mohandas Gandhi while he was living in South Africa. She began her service as his secretary at the age of 17. By her early twenties, she had become entrusted with the executive decision making within Gandhi's law practice and sociopolitical movements. Gandhi said "during the Satyagraha days... she...
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Helen Nissenbaum

4. Helen Nissenbaum

1954-. (aged 72)
university teacher philosopher
Helen Nissenbaum is professor of information science at Cornell Tech. She is best known for the concept of "contextual integrity" and her work on privacy, privacy law, trust, and security in the online world. Specifically, contextual integrity has influenced the United States government's thinking about privacy issues. Nissenbaum co-created the TrackMeNot and AdNauseam browser extensions, which demonstrated the use of...
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Akiva Tatz

5. Akiva Tatz

rabbi
Akiva Tatz is a prominent South African Orthodox rabbi, inspirational speaker and writer who is heavily involved in Orthodox Jewish outreach. He is also a doctor and world-renowned expert in Jewish medical ethics.
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Athol Williams

6. Athol Williams

1970-. (aged 56)
writer children's writer poet philosopher
Athol Williams is a South African poet, applied philosopher and business lecturer based at Oxford University.
Wanda Orlikowski

7. Wanda Orlikowski

computer scientist university teacher
Wanda Janina Orlikowski is a US-based organizational theorist and Information Systems researcher, and the Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Information Technologies and Organization Studies at the MIT Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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Glenda Gray

8. Glenda Gray

1962-. (aged 64)
physician researcher microbiologist pediatrician
Glenda Elisabeth Gray MB BCh, FC Paeds, DSc, OMS is a South African physician, scientist and activist specializing in the care of children and in HIV medicine. In 2012, she was awarded South Africa's highest honour, the Order of Mapungubwe (Silver). She became the first female president of the South African Medical Research Council in 2014, was recognized as one...
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Paula Slier

9. Paula Slier

1973-. (aged 53)
journalist war correspondent
Paula Slier is a South African television, radio and print journalist, news editor, and war correspondent, who is based in the Middle East. She served as the Middle East Bureau Chief for RT, and is the founder and CEO of Newshound Media International.
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Shmuel Katz

10. Shmuel Katz

1926-2010 (aged 84)
painter caricaturist illustrator
Shmuel "Mooki" Katz was an Israeli writer, historian and journalist. Prior to the formation of the State of Israel, he was a Zionist activist and member of the high command of Irgun, a proscribed paramilitary group. He was a member of the first Knesset and is also known for his biography of Jewish leader Ze'ev Jabotinsky.
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Rasta Rasivhenge

11. Rasta Rasivhenge

1986-. (aged 40)
rugby union match official rugby union player Category:Rugby sevens referees
Fhatuwani 'Rasta' Rasivhenge is a South African rugby union referee who is a member of the South African Rugby Union (SARU) Premier Panel. He was appointed to referee the final of the rugby sevens tournament at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
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John Burland

12. John Burland

1936-. (aged 90)
engineer civil engineer
John Boscawen Burland is a geotechnical engineer, Emeritus Professor and Senior Research Investigator at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of Imperial College London, and a noted expert in the field of soil mechanics.
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Patrick Deane

13. Patrick Deane

1956-. (aged 70)
Patrick Deane is a Canadian scholar and university administrator, currently serving as the 21st Principal of Queen's University. He was previously the acting president of the University of Winnipeg (2003–2004), the Vice-principal (Academic) at Queen's University (2005–2010) and the 7th President of McMaster University (2010–2019).
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Terence English

14. Terence English

1932-2025 (aged 93)
surgeon
Sir Terence Alexander Hawthorne English KBE FRCS FRCP was a South African-born British cardiac surgeon. He was consultant cardiothoracic surgeon at Papworth Hospital and Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, 1973–1995. After starting a career in mining engineering, English switched to medicine and went on to lead the team that performed Britain's first successful heart transplant in August 1979 at Papworth, and soon...
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John Antonakis

15. John Antonakis

1969-. (aged 57)
university teacher
John Antonakis is a professor of organizational behavior at the Faculty of Business and Economics of the University of Lausanne. He teaches leadership and applied statistics courses. He was editor-in-chief of The Leadership Quarterly between 2017 and 2022. The status and prestige of the journal increased strongly during his tenure (from an impact factor of 3.307 to 7.5, touching a...
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Antony Polonsky

16. Antony Polonsky

1940-. (aged 86)
historian
Antony Barry Polonsky is Emeritus Professor of Holocaust Studies at Brandeis University. He is the author of many historical works on the Holocaust, and is an expert on Polish Jewish history.
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Diane Victor

17. Diane Victor

1964-. (aged 62)
lithographer draftsperson printmaker
Diane Victor, is a South African artist and print maker, known for her satirical and social commentary of contemporary South African politics.
Dion George

18. Dion George

1966-. (aged 60)
politician
Dion Travers George is a South African politician who served as the Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries from July 2024 to November 2025. He was a Member of Parliament for the Democratic Alliance (DA) until January 2026.
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Saul A. Teukolsky

19. Saul A. Teukolsky

1947-. (aged 79)
physicist
Saul Arno Teukolsky is a theoretical astrophysicist and a professor of Physics and Astronomy at Caltech and Cornell University. His major research interests include general relativity, relativistic astrophysics, and computational astrophysics.
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Lebogang Mashile

20. Lebogang Mashile

1979-. (aged 47)
musician writer activist actor poet
Lebogang Mashile is an American-born South African performance poet, author, presenter, actress and producer.
Elisabeth Eybers

21. Elisabeth Eybers

1915-2007 (aged 92)
translator poet journalist writer
Elisabeth Françoise Eybers was a South African poet. Her poetry was mainly in Afrikaans, although she translated some of her own work (and those of others) into English.
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Carlos Cardoso

22. Carlos Cardoso

1951-2000 (aged 49)
journalist politician
Carlos Alberto Lopes Cardoso was a Portuguese-Mozambican investigative journalist. His assassination in 2000 followed his newspaper's investigation into corruption in the privatisation of Mozambique's biggest bank.
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Norman E. Rosenthal

23. Norman E. Rosenthal

1950-. (aged 76)
author psychiatrist university teacher medical researcher
Norman E. Rosenthal is an American author, psychiatrist and scientist who first described seasonal affective disorder, and developed light therapy as a treatment.
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Margaret H. Marshall

24. Margaret H. Marshall

1944-. (aged 82)
lawyer judge
Margaret Hilary Marshall is an American jurist who served as the 24th chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, the first woman to hold the position. She was chief justice from 1999 to 2010. On July 21, 2010, she announced her retirement. She was Senior Fellow of the Yale Corporation until she retired from the board in 2016, Senior...
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Max Price

25. Max Price

1955-. (aged 71)
academic
Max Price served as the vice-chancellor and principal of the University of Cape Town in South Africa, succeeding Njabulo Ndebele. He held this position for a decade, from 19 August 2008, until 30 June 2018.
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Phillip V. Tobias

26. Phillip V. Tobias

1925-2012 (aged 87)
anthropologist prehistorian university teacher paleoanthropologist paleontologist
Phillip Vallentine Tobias FRS was a South African palaeoanthropologist and Professor Emeritus at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. He was best known for his work at South Africa's hominid fossil sites. He was also an activist for the eradication of apartheid and gave numerous anti-apartheid speeches at protest rallies and also to academic audiences.
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Essop Pahad

27. Essop Pahad

1939-2023 (aged 84)
politician minister
Essop Goolam Pahad was a South African politician. He served as the Minister in the Presidency from 1999 to 2008, and was a close ally of Thabo Mbeki.
Thabang Makwetla

28. Thabang Makwetla

1957-. (aged 69)
politician
Thabang Sampson Makwetla is a South African politician who was the third Premier of Mpumalanga between 2004 and 2009. A member of the African National Congress (ANC), he went on to serve as a deputy minister in the South African government from 2009 to 2024; he was the Deputy Minister of Defence and Military Veterans from 2019 to 2024 and...
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Judith Mason

29. Judith Mason

1938-2016 (aged 78)
printmaker painter
Judith Mason born Judith Seelander Menge was a South African artist who worked in oil, pencil, printmaking and mixed media. Her work is rich in symbolism and mythology, displaying a rare technical virtuosity.
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Khanyi Dhlomo

30. Khanyi Dhlomo

1974-. (aged 52)
editor
Khanyi Dhlomo is a South African journalist and magazine editor.
Herman Charles Bosman

31. Herman Charles Bosman

1905-1951 (aged 46)
playwright writer journalist
Herman Charles Bosman was widely regarded as South Africa's greatest short-story writer. He studied the works of Edgar Allan Poe and Mark Twain and developed a style emphasizing the use of satire. His English-language works utilize primarily Afrikaner characters and highlight the many contradictions in Afrikaner society during the first half of the twentieth century.
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Ivor Ichikowitz

32. Ivor Ichikowitz

1966-. (aged 60)
businessperson
Ivor Ichikowitz is a South African businessman, founder and former executive chairman of Paramount Group. He is also an executive chairman of TransAfrica Capital and the Ichikowitz Family Foundation.
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Thando Hopa

33. Thando Hopa

1989-. (aged 37)
model activist
Thando Hopa is a South African model, activist, entrepreneur, and lawyer. She is the first person with albinism to be featured on the cover of Vogue. In addition to modeling, Hopa has formed her own initiatives such as the African Fashion Legacy Project which highlights the history of African fashion, textiles, and weaving practices. Hopa created her own media company,...
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Geoff Makhubo

34. Geoff Makhubo

1968-2021 (aged 53)
politician
Moloantoa Geoffrey Makhubo was a South African politician who served as the Mayor of Johannesburg from December 2019 until his death from COVID-19 in July 2021. He was a member of the African National Congress and the party's regional chair. During the administration of Parks Tau, he served as the MMC (Member of the Mayoral Committee) for Finance.
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Claire Johnston

35. Claire Johnston

1967-. (aged 59)
singer
Claire Johnston is an Anglo-South African singer and songwriter. She is the lead singer of the South African fusion band Mango Groove.
David Anthony King

36. David Anthony King

1939-. (aged 87)
chemist
Sir David Anthony King is a South African-born British chemist, academic, and head of the Climate Crisis Advisory Group (CCAG).
Mark Solms

37. Mark Solms

1961-. (aged 65)
university teacher psychoanalyst psychiatrist psychologist neuroscientist
Mark Solms is a South African psychoanalyst and neuropsychologist, who is known for his discovery of the brain mechanisms of dreaming and his use of psychoanalytic methods in contemporary neuroscience. He holds the Chair of Neuropsychology at the University of Cape Town and Groote Schuur Hospital (Departments of Psychology and Neurology) and is the President of the South African Psychoanalytical...
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John Murray, 11th Duke of Atholl

38. John Murray, 11th Duke of Atholl

1929-2012 (aged 83)
politician
John Murray, 11th Duke of Atholl, was a Scots Afrikaner aristocrat, a Peer of Scotland, hereditary Clan Chief of Clan Murray, and Colonel-in-Chief of the Atholl Highlanders.
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Lewis Wolpert

39. Lewis Wolpert

1929-2021 (aged 92)
embryologist university teacher biologist cell biologist engineer
Lewis Wolpert CBE FRS FRSL FMedSci was a South African-born British developmental biologist, author, and broadcaster. Wolpert popularized his French flag model of embryonic development, using the colours of the French flag as a visual aid to explain how embryonic cells interpret genetic code for expressing characteristics of living organisms and explaining how signalling between cells early in morphogenesis could...
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Zanele Dlamini Mbeki

40. Zanele Dlamini Mbeki

1938-. (aged 88)
social worker politician
Zanele Mbeki OMSS is a feminist South African social worker who founded the Women's Development Bank. She is also a former first lady of South Africa.
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Ann Pettifor

41. Ann Pettifor

1947-. (aged 79)
political scientist economist
Ann Pettifor is a British economist who advises governments and organisations. She has published several books. Her work focuses on the global financial system, sovereign debt restructuring, international finance and sustainable development. She was one of the leaders of the Jubilee 2000 debt cancellation campaign.
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Barbara Creecy

42. Barbara Creecy

1958-. (aged 68)
politician minister
Barbara Dallas Creecy is a South African politician and former anti-apartheid activist who has been the Minister of Transport since July 2024. She was formerly the Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries between 2019 and 2024. She is a member of the National Executive Committee and National Working Committee of the African National Congress (ANC).
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Garfield Todd

43. Garfield Todd

1908-2002 (aged 94)
missionary politician
Sir Reginald Stephen Garfield Todd was a liberal Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia from 1953 to 1958 and later became an opponent of white minority rule in Rhodesia.
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Tony Leon

44. Tony Leon

1956-. (aged 70)
lawyer journalist diplomat politician
Anthony James Leon is a South African politician who served as leader of the opposition from 1999 to 2007 as leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA). He led the DA from its inception in 2000, until his retirement from leadership in 2007. Before that, he led the Democratic Party from 1994. He is the longest-serving leader of the official opposition...
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Harry Schwarz

45. Harry Schwarz

1924-2010 (aged 86)
judge politician lawyer diplomat human rights defender
Harry Heinz Schwarz was a South African lawyer, statesman, and long-time political opposition leader against apartheid in South Africa who eventually served as the South African Ambassador to the United States during the country's transition to majority rule.
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Bruce Fordyce

46. Bruce Fordyce

1955-. (aged 71)
film actor television actor ultramarathon runner
Bruce Noel Stevenson Fordyce is a South African marathon and ultramarathon athlete who was also active in opposing apartheid. He is best known for having won the South African Comrades Marathon a record nine times, of which eight wins were consecutive. He also won the London to Brighton Ultramarathon three years in a row. He is the former world record...
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Richard Goldstone

47. Richard Goldstone

1938-. (aged 88)
university teacher lawyer judge
Richard Joseph Goldstone is a South African retired judge who served in the Constitutional Court of South Africa from July 1994 to October 2003. He joined the bench as a judge of the Supreme Court of South Africa, first in the Transvaal Provincial Division from 1980 to 1989 and then in the Appellate Division from 1990 to 1994. Before that,...
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Jani Allan

48. Jani Allan

1952-2023 (aged 71)
film critic model journalist radio personality
Jani Allan was a South African journalist, columnist, writer, broadcaster, and media personality.
Barbara Hogan

49. Barbara Hogan

1952-. (aged 74)
politician minister
Barbara Anne Hogan is a former Minister of Health and of Public Enterprises in the Cabinet of South Africa.
Lana Marks

50. Lana Marks

1953-. (aged 73)
fashion designer
Lana J. Marks is a South African-born American business executive who founded the eponymous fashion brand. She is the former United States Ambassador to South Africa, having served from 2020 to 2021.
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Lesetja Kganyago

51. Lesetja Kganyago

1965-. (aged 61)
banker economist
Lesetja Kganyago is a South African economist and central banker. He is the Governor of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB). He assumed the Governorship of the South African Reserve Bank on 9 November 2014, following the expiry of the term of his predecessor, Gill Marcus, on 8 November 2014. In 2025, Kganyago was announced as the new Chancellor of...
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Denise Scott Brown

52. Denise Scott Brown

1931-. (aged 95)
university teacher urban planner architect
Denise Scott Brown is a South African-American architect, planner, writer and educator. She is known for her contributions to architectural theory, urban design, and postmodern architecture, as well as for her joint work with her husband architect Robert Venturi.
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Aura Herzog

53. Aura Herzog

1924-2022 (aged 98)
writer activist
Aura Herzog (Hebrew: אורה הרצוג (née Ambache, 24 December 1924 – 10 January 2022) was an Israeli social and environmental activist, who served as the First Lady of Israel from 1983 to 1993; she was the wife of Chaim Herzog, the sixth President of the State of Israel and mother of the current president, Isaac Herzog. In 1968, she founded...
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Michael Tellinger

54. Michael Tellinger

1960-. (aged 66)
politician writer musician
Michael Tellinger is a South African author, politician, explorer and founder of the Ubuntu Party which supports the supply of free resources across society. He has led a campaign against banks and central banks and championed pseudolegal ideas to obtain money from financial institutions. He is also a promoter of pseudoarchaeology influenced by Zecharia Sitchin's ideas of ancient astronauts. presenting...
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George Bizos

55. George Bizos

1928-2020 (aged 92)
human rights defender jurist lawyer
George Bizos was a Greek-South African human rights lawyer who campaigned against apartheid in South Africa. He represented Nelson Mandela during the Rivonia Trial. He instructed Mandela to add the qualification "if needs be" to his trial address, which is credited with sparing him from a sentence of death. Bizos also represented the families of anti-apartheid activists killed by the...
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Peter Sarnak

56. Peter Sarnak

1953-. (aged 73)
mathematician university teacher
Peter Clive Sarnak FRS MAE is a South African and American mathematician. Sarnak has been a member of the permanent faculty of the School of Mathematics at the Institute for Advanced Study since 2007. He is also Eugene Higgins Professor of Mathematics at Princeton University since 2002, succeeding Sir Andrew Wiles, and is an editor of the Annals of Mathematics....
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Seymour Papert

57. Seymour Papert

1928-2016 (aged 88)
artificial intelligence researcher university teacher mathematician educator psychologist
Seymour Aubrey Papert was a South African-born American mathematician, computer scientist, and educator, who spent most of his career teaching and researching at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was one of the pioneers of artificial intelligence, and of the constructionist movement in education. He was co-inventor, with Wally Feurzeig and Cynthia Solomon, of the Logo programming language.
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Sydney Brenner

58. Sydney Brenner

1927-2019 (aged 92)
biotechnologist geneticist biologist university teacher
Sydney Brenner CH FRS FMedSci MAE was a South African biologist. In 2002, he shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with H. Robert Horvitz and Sir John E. Sulston. Brenner made significant contributions to work on the genetic code, and other areas of molecular biology while working in the Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory of Molecular Biology in...
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Rory Byrne

59. Rory Byrne

1944-. (aged 82)
engineer
Rory Byrne is a South African semi-retired engineer and car designer, most famous for being the chief designer at the Benetton and Scuderia Ferrari teams of Formula One. Byrne-designed cars have won ninety-nine Grands Prix, seven constructors' titles and seven drivers' titles. This makes Byrne the third most successful Formula One designer, behind rival Adrian Newey and Colin Chapman.
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Helen Suzman

60. Helen Suzman

1917-2009 (aged 92)
writer activist anti-apartheid activist politician
Helen Suzman, OMSG, DBE was a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician. She represented a series of liberal and centre-left opposition parties during her 36-year tenure in the whites-only, National Party-controlled House of Assembly of South Africa at the height of apartheid.
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Atandwa Kani

61. Atandwa Kani

1984-. (aged 42)
film actor television actor stage actor
Atandwa Kani is a South African actor. He is the son of actor John Kani.
Ruth First

62. Ruth First

1925-1982 (aged 57)
university teacher politician writer journalist political activist
Heloise Ruth First OLG was a South African anti-apartheid activist and scholar. She was assassinated in Mozambique, where she was working in exile, by a parcel bomb built by South African police.
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Mamphela Ramphele

63. Mamphela Ramphele

1947-. (aged 79)
writer politician
Mamphela Aletta Ramphele is a South African politician, anti-apartheid activist, medical doctor and businesswoman. She was a partner of anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko, with whom she had two children. She is a former vice-chancellor at the University of Cape Town and a former managing director at the World Bank. Ramphele founded the political party Agang South Africa in February 2013...
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Aaron Klug

64. Aaron Klug

1926-2018 (aged 92)
university teacher biophysicist chemist molecular biologist biochemist
Sir Aaron Klug was a British biophysicist and chemist. He was a winner of the 1982 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his development of crystallographic electron microscopy and his structural elucidation of biologically important nucleic acid-protein complexes.
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Floyd Shivambu

65. Floyd Shivambu

1983-. (aged 43)
politician
Nyiko Floyd Shivambu is a South African politician. He is the founder and leader of the Afrika Mayibuye Movement. He previously served as a member of National Assembly for the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) until 15 August 2024, when he joined Jacob Zuma's uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) serving as the MKP secretary-general from November 2024 until his dismissal in June...
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Precious Moloi-Motsepe

66. Precious Moloi-Motsepe

1962-. (aged 64)
physician philanthropist fashion entrepreneur
Precious Moloi-Motsepe is a South African philanthropist and fashion entrepreneur. One of the richest women in South Africa, she started her career as a medical practitioner, specializing in children and women's health. In September 2019 she was elected Chancellor of the University of Cape Town, succeeding Graça Machel, and beginning her ten-year term on 1 January.
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Angie Motshekga

67. Angie Motshekga

1955-. (aged 71)
politician minister
Matsie Angelina "Angie" Motshekga is a South African politician and educator who is currently serving as the Minister of Defense and Military Veterans since 3 July 2024. She served as the acting president of the Republic of South Africa from the 17th August 2024, while President Cyril Ramaphosa attended the 44th Ordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government of...
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Gavin Hood

68. Gavin Hood

1963-. (aged 63)
screenwriter film director lawyer actor film actor
Gavin Hood is a South African filmmaker, and actor, best known for writing and directing Tsotsi (2005), which won the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. He also directed the films X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Ender's Game, Eye in the Sky and Official Secrets.
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Ivan Glasenberg

69. Ivan Glasenberg

1957-. (aged 69)
entrepreneur financier
Ivan Glasenberg is a South African business executive and former chief executive officer of Glencore, one of the world's largest commodity trading and mining companies. He was the company's CEO from 2002 to 2021. Glasenberg has or had citizenship of South Africa and Australia. He became a Swiss citizen in 2011. As of 2025, his net worth was assessed at...
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Eduardo Chivambo Mondlane

70. Eduardo Chivambo Mondlane

1920-1969 (aged 49)
explorer anthropologist politician
Eduardo Chivambo Mondlane was a Mozambican revolutionary and anthropologist who was the founder of the Mozambican Liberation Front (FRELIMO). He served as the FRELIMO's first leader until his assassination in 1969 in Tanzania. An anthropologist by profession, Mondlane also worked as a history and sociology professor at Syracuse University before returning to Mozambique in 1963.
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Patrick Soon-Shiong

71. Patrick Soon-Shiong

1952-. (aged 74)
entrepreneur chief executive officer university teacher surgeon philanthropist
Patrick Soon-Shiong is a South African and American businessman, investor, medical researcher, and transplant surgeon. He is the inventor of the drug Abraxane, which is used for lung, breast, and pancreatic cancer. He has received US FDA approval for a new class of immunotherapy drug called Anktiva in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer in 2024. Soon-Shiong is the founder of NantWorks,...
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Johnny Clegg

72. Johnny Clegg

1953-2019 (aged 66)
musician dancer singer-songwriter anthropologist guitarist
Jonathan Paul Clegg, OBE OIS was a British-born South African musician, singer-songwriter, dancer, anthropologist and anti-apartheid activist.
Teresa Heinz Kerry

73. Teresa Heinz Kerry

1938-. (aged 88)
entrepreneur
Teresa Heinz, also known as Teresa Heinz Kerry, is a Portuguese-American businesswoman and philanthropist. Heinz is the widow of former U.S. Senator John Heinz and the current wife of former United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, longtime U.S. Senator, and 2004 Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry. Heinz has served as chair of the Heinz Endowments and the Heinz Family...
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Manfred Mann

74. Manfred Mann

1940-. (aged 86)
jazz musician songwriter pianist composer record producer
Manfred Sepse Lubowitz, known professionally as Manfred Mann, is a South African-born musician, residing in the UK since 1961. He is best known as a founding member of the eponymous bands Manfred Mann, Manfred Mann Chapter Three and Manfred Mann's Earth Band.
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Nadine Gordimer

75. Nadine Gordimer

1923-2014 (aged 91)
playwright novelist scientific editor poet prose writer
Nadine Gordimer was a South African writer and political activist. She received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1991, recognised as a writer "who through her magnificent epic writing has... been of very great benefit to humanity".
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Thuso Mbedu

76. Thuso Mbedu

1991-. (aged 35)
actor
Thuso Nokwanda Mbedu is a South African actress. She rose to prominence for her performance in the South African teen drama series Is'Thunzi for which she was nominated consecutively for an International Emmy in 2017 and 2018. Mbedu later appeared on the 2018 Forbes Africa 30 under 30 list.
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Gideon Emery

77. Gideon Emery

1972-. (aged 54)
jazz musician stage actor television actor voice actor film actor
Gideon Emery is an English actor. He is best known for his role as Deucalion in Teen Wolf and for providing voice-over work in video games, television series and films, notably as Fenris in Dragon Age II.
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William Kentridge

78. William Kentridge

1955-. (aged 71)
scenographer visual artist animator paper artist printmaker
William Kentridge is a South African artist best known for his prints, drawings, and animated films. He is especially noted for a sequence of hand-drawn animated films he produced during the 1990s, constructed by filming a drawing, making erasures and changes, and filming it again. He continues this process meticulously, giving each change to the drawing a quarter of a...
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Helen Zille

79. Helen Zille

1951-. (aged 75)
journalist politician
Otta Helene Maree, known as Helen Zille, is a South African politician. She has served as the Chairperson of the Federal Council of the Democratic Alliance since 20 October 2019. From 2009 until 2019, she was the Premier of the Western Cape province for two five-year terms, and a member of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament. She served as Federal...
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Koos du Plessis

80. Koos du Plessis

1945-1984 (aged 39)
writer songwriter poet singer
Jacobus Johannes du Plessis (10 May 1945 – 15 January 1984) was a prominent South African singer-songwriter and poet, colloquially known as Koos Doep. Although he received critical acclaim for much of his work, he became best known for the runaway success of a rendition of his song "Kinders van die Wind" ("Children of the Wind") by Laurika Rauch.
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Kirti Menon

81. Kirti Menon

1959-. (aged 67)
academic
Kirti Menon is an activist, educator and writer based in Johannesburg, South Africa. She is the Senior Director at the University of Johannesburg and the chairman of the Gandhi Centenary Committee, South Africa. Menon is known for reforming the policy environment in post-secondary education sector in South Africa. She is the granddaughter of Manilal Gandhi and the great-granddaughter of Mahatma...
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Benedict Wallet Vilakazi

82. 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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Angelique Rockas

83. 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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Winnie Madikizela-Mandela

84. 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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Mmusi Maimane

85. 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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Mamokgethi Phakeng

86. Mamokgethi Phakeng

1966-. (aged 60)
mathematician university teacher
Rosina Mamokgethi Phakeng GCOB OIG is a South African professor of mathematics education who in 2018 became a vice-chancellor of the University of Cape Town (UCT). She has been the vice principal of research and innovation, at the University of South Africa and acting executive dean of the College of Science, Engineering and Technology at UNISA. In 2018 she was...
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Connie Mulder

87. Connie Mulder

1925-1988 (aged 63)
politician minister
Cornelius Petrus Mulder was a South African politician and cabinet minister.
Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams

88. Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams

1978-. (aged 48)
politician minister
Stella Tembisa Ndabeni-Abrahams is a South African politician who is currently serving as the Minister of Small Business Development since 5 August 2021. She previously served as Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies from November 2018 to August 2021. She is a member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) and a National Working Committee (NWC) of the African National Congress...
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David Webster

89. David Webster

1945-1989 (aged 44)
political activist anti-apartheid activist anthropologist
David Webster was a South African academic and anti-apartheid activist. He worked as an anthropologist at the University of the Witwatersrand, where he was a senior lecturer at the time of his assassination.
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Olivia Forsyth

90. Olivia Forsyth

1960-. (aged 66)
spy police officer
Olivia Anne Marie Forsyth, agent number RS407 and codename "Lara", is a former spy for the apartheid government in South Africa. Having attained the rank of lieutenant in the Security Branch of the South African Police (SAP), Forsyth defected to the African National Congress (ANC) and was incarcerated at Quatro prison camp in northern Angola. Following her escape, Forsyth spent...
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Refilwe Mtsweni

91. Refilwe Mtsweni

1973-. (aged 53)
politician
Refilwe Maria Mtsweni-Tsipane, also spelled Mtshweni-Tsipane, is a South African politician from Mpumalanga. A member of the African National Congress (ANC), she has been the Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces since June 2024. Before that, she served as the fifth Premier of Mpumalanga between 2018 and 2024.
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Dennis Brutus

92. Dennis Brutus

1924-2009 (aged 85)
writer poet university teacher activist
Dennis Vincent Brutus was a South African activist, educator, journalist and poet best known for his campaign to have South Africa banned from the Olympic Games due to its racial policy of apartheid.
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Nelson Mandela

93. 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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Seretse Khama

94. Seretse Khama

1921-1980 (aged 59)
lawyer freedom fighter politician
Sir Seretse Goitsebeng Maphiri Khama, GCB, KBE was a Motswana politician who served as the first President of Botswana, a post he held from 1966 to his death in 1980.
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Robert Sobukwe

95. 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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Sibongile Khumalo

96. Sibongile Khumalo

1957-2021 (aged 64)
opera singer jazz musician
Sibongile Khumalo was a South African singer and songwriter. She sang classical, jazz, opera and traditional South African music. She was noted for singing at the inauguration of Nelson Mandela in 1994, as well as the final of the Rugby World Cup the following year. She was appointed to the Order of Ikhamanga in 2008.
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Adjetey Anang

97. Adjetey Anang

1973-. (aged 53)
actor
Adjetey Anang is a Ghanaian actor. He is best known for his portrayal of the character Pusher in the television series Things We Do for Love and YOLO. He has featured in many Ghanaian films, including Deadly Voyage, A Sting in a Tale, and The Perfect Picture, as well as the Dutch film Slavery.
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Thuli Madonsela

98. Thuli Madonsela

1962-. (aged 64)
lawyer politician
Professor Thulisile Nomkhosi "Thuli" Madonsela is a South African advocate and professor of law, holding a chair in social justice at Stellenbosch University since January 2018. She served as the Public Protector of South Africa from 19 October 2009 to 14 October 2016. In 1996, she helped draft the final constitution of South Africa promulgated by then-President Nelson Mandela.
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Patrice Motsepe

99. Patrice Motsepe

1962-. (aged 64)
sports executive businessperson
Patrice Tlhopane Motsepe is a South African billionaire businessman and football administrator who has served as president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) since 2021.
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Dean Israelite

100. Dean Israelite

1984-. (aged 42)
screenwriter writer film director
Dean Israelite is a South African filmmaker, best known for directing the found footage film Project Almanac (2015), the 2017 reboot of Power Rangers, and the 2019 reboot of Are You Afraid of the Dark.
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