List of South Africans
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Top 100 Great South Africans
In September 2004, thousands of South Africans took part in an informal nationwide poll to determine the "100 Greatest South Africans" of all time. Votes were cast by telephone, SMS, and the website of the state-run South African Broadcasting Corporation television channel, SABC 3, which aired a series of profiles and documentaries in the weeks leading up to the announcement of the top 100.
The progamme was modelled on the BBC's "Greatest Britons" series, which saw World War 2 leader Winston Churchill lead the rankings as history's Greatest Briton. In South Africa, the list was headed by Nelson Mandela, a predictable and highly-popular choice, given his global stature as a statesman and symbol of post-Apartheid liberation and reconciliation.
Other popular choices ranged from Professor Christiaan Barnard, the pioneering heart surgeon, to General Jan Smuts, wartime Prime Minister and co-founder of the League of Nations, to Shaka Zulu, the 19th Century warrior leader of the Zulu Nation, to Internet entrepreneur and civilian space traveller Mark Shuttleworth.
While the list was clearly intended as a touchstone for debate and a source of public entertainment, the SABC soon became embroiled in a national controversy over the high rankings accorded to some South Africans who were less widely regarded as "great". For example, Hendrik Verwoerd, the "Architect of Apartheid", ranked higher on the list than Albert Luthuli, South Africa's first Nobel Peace laureate.
Other controversial choices included an 11th placing for Hansie Cronje, the disgraced former Captain of the South African cricket squad, who admitted to taking bribes to influence the outcome of international test matches, and Jeremy Mansfield, a radio presenter best known for his prank telephone calls and sexually explicit anecdotes.
The national debate over the list reflected the deep divisions still inherent in South African society, even a decade after the nation's first democratic elections. On October 15, bowing to pressure from political commentators and sections of the media, the SABC announced that the show was being cancelled, leaving positions 2 to 10 still formally undecided.
This is the original list of "100 Greatest South Africans", with positions 2 to 10 still to be confirmed by public vote, before the show was taken off the air:
1. Nelson Mandela, first president of democratic South Africa and joint Nobel Peace Prize winner (1918 - )
2. Christiaan Barnard, pioneering heart surgeon (1922 - 2001)
3. F.W. de Klerk, former president and joint Nobel Peace Prize winner (1936 - )
4. Mahatma Gandhi, political activist (1869 - 1948)
5. Nkosi Johnson, child who died of AIDS (1989 - 2002)
6. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, politician and 2nd wife of Nelson Mandela (1936 - )
7. Thabo Mbeki, current president (1942 - )
8. Gary Player, golfer (1936 - )
9. Jan Smuts, statesman (1870 - 1950)
10. Desmond Tutu, cleric and Nobel Peace Prize winner
11. Hansie Cronje, cricketer (1969 - 2002)
12. Charlize Theron, actress and Academy Award winner (1975 - )
13. Steve Biko, political activist (1946 - 1977)
14. Shaka, founder of the Zulu nation (1787 - 1828)
15. Mangosuthu Buthelezi, politician and a Zulu prince
16. Tony Leon, politician (1956 - )
17. Brenda Fassie, singer (1964 - 2004)
18. Mark Shuttleworth, Web entrepreneur, founder of Thawte, astronaut
19. Hendrik Frensch Verwoerd, former prime minister and primary architect of Apartheid (1901 - 1966)
20. Chris Hani, political activist (1942 - 1993)
21. Bonginkosi Dlamini, also known as "Zola", poet, actor and musician
22. Patricia de Lille, politician
23. Johnny Clegg, also known as "The White Zulu", musician (1953 - )
24. Helen Suzman, stateswoman (1917 - )
25. Eugène Terre'Blanche, right wing activist
26. Pieter Dirk Uys political satirist and entertainer
27. Paul Kruger, four times president of South African Republic (1825 - 1904)
28. Anton Rupert, businessman and environmentalist
29. Jonty Rhodes, cricketer
30. Leon Schuster, filmmaker, comedian, actor and prankster
31. Oliver Tambo, political activist (1917 - 1993)
32. Steve Hofmeyr, musician and actor
33. Walter Sisulu, political activist (1912 - 2003)
34. Cyril Ramaphosa, politician and businessman
35. JRR Tolkien, author (1892 - 1973)
36. Beyers Naude, cleric and anti-apartheid activist (1915 - 2004)
37. Ernie Els, golfer (1969 - )
38. Miriam Makeba, musician
39. Patrice Motsepe, businessman
40. Trevor Manuel, politician
41. Albert Luthuli, cleric, politician and 1960 Nobel Peace Prize winner († 1967)
42. Robert Sobukwe, political activist (1924 - 1978)
43. Tokyo Sexwale, politician and businessman
44. Danny Jordaan, politician and soccer administrator
45. Fatima Meer, scientist and political activist
46. Ahmed Kathrada, political activist
47. Joe Slovo, politician (1926 - 1995)
48. Natalie du Toit, disabled swimmer
49. Jomo Sono, soccer coach
50. Francois Pienaar, former Springboks rugby captain (1967 - )
51. John Kani, actor, entertainer and writer
52. Penny Heyns, swimmer
53. Jeremy Mansfield, radio and TV personality
54. Lucas Radebe, former Bafana Bafana soccer captain
55. Mamphela Ramphele, political activist, academic, businesswoman and mother to the son of Steve Biko
56. Cecil Rhodes, businessman (1853 - 1902)
57. Albertina Sisulu, political activist and wife of Walter Sisulu (1919 - )
58. Aggrey Klaaste, journalist and editor
59. Alan Paton, author (1903 - 1988)
60. Harry Oppenheimer, businessman (1908 - 2000)
61. Zackie Achmat, AIDS activist
62. Doctor Khumalo, soccer player
63. Jan van Riebeeck, first colonial administrator (1619 - 1677)
64. Bruce Fordyce, ultra-marathon runner
65. Enoch Sontonga, teacher, lay-preacher and composer wrote "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika"
66. Zola Budd, athlete (1966 - )
67. Sol Plaatje, journalist and political activist (1877 - 1932)
68. Danie Craven, rugby player and administrator (1910 - 1994)
69. Alan Boesak, cleric and politician
70. Felicia Mabuza-Suttle, talk show host, public speaker and businesswoman
71. Yvonne Chaka Chaka, musician
72. "Baby" Jakes Matlala, boxer and junior flyweight champion
73. Kaizer Motaung, founder of Kaizer Chiefs Football Club
74. Basetsana Kumalo, former Miss South Africa, presenter and businesswoman
75. Antjie Krog, poet, novelist and playwright
76. Dullah Omar, politician
77. Mandoza, musician
78. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, politician
79. Raymond Ackerman, businessman
80. Nadine Gordimer, 1991 Nobel Prize-winning author (1923 - )
81. Daniel François Malan, former Prime Minister responsible for laying the groundwork for Apartheid (1874 - 1959)
82. Frederik van Zyl Slabbert, politician
83. James Barry Munnik Hertzog, former Prime Minister (1866 - 1942)
84. Hector Pieterson, a young boy whose death has became the symbol of the Soweto uprisings of June 1976
85. Sewsunker "Papwa" Sewgolum, golfer
86. William Smith, TV teacher and presenter
87. Pieter Willem Botha, former prime minister and state president (1916 - )
88. Hugh Masekela, musician
89. Bulelani Ngcuka, politician
90. Jody Scheckter, Formula One world champion (1950 - )
91. George Bizos, lawyer
92. Mbongeni Ngema, playwright, actor, choreographer and director
93. PJ Powers, musician
94. Mimi Coertse, musician
95. Mrs Ples, the oldest hominid skull found at Sterkfontein cave
96. Abdullah Ibrahim, aka "Dollar Brand", musician
97. Govan Mbeki, political activist and father of Thabo Mbeki
98. Jamie Uys, Film Director (1921 - 1996)
99. Jacobus Hendrik Pierneef, artist
100. Athol Fugard, playwright (1932 - )
Other notable South Africans
A-H
- Neil Aggett, political activist and trade unionist († 1982)
- Herman Charles Bosman, author (1905 - 1951)
- Louis Botha, statesman (1862 - 1919)
- Naas Botha, rugby player and TV presenter (1958 - )
- Schalk Burger, rugby player (1983 - )
- Roy Campbell, poet (1901 - 1957)
- John Michael Coetzee, Nobel Prize-winning author, twice winner of the Booker Prize (1940 - )
- Clement Martyn Doke, linguist (1893 - 1980)
- Cliff Drysdale, tennis player and television commentator (1941 - )
- K. Sello Duiker, novelist (1974-2005)
- Frik du Preez, rugby player (1935 - )
- Os du Randt, rugby player (1972 - )
- Jacques Freitag, high jumper (1982 - )
- Retief Goosen, golfer (1969 - )
- Ronald Harwood, playwright and writer (1934 - )
I-Q
- Marius Joubert, rugby player (1979 - )
- Goodwill Zwelethini kaBhekuzulu, king of the Zulu nation (1948 - )
- Robert Lange, music producer (1948 - )
- Adolph Malan, fighter pilot and civil rights activist (1910 - 1963)
- Magnus Malan, minister of defence and chief of the South African Defence Force (1930 - )
- Dalene Matthee, author (1938 - 2005)
- Dave Matthews, musician (1967 - )
- Benni McCarthy, soccer player (1977 - )
- Mike Melvill, test pilot and first commercial astronaut (1940 - )
- Gcina Mhlope, storyteller, author, playwright, director, actor (1959 - )
- Phaswane Mpe, novelist (1970 - 2004)
- Victoria Mxenge, anti-apartheid activist
- Lilian Ngoyi, anti-apartheid activist
- Andries Pretorius, Boer leader and commandant-general (1799 - 1853)
- Marthinus Wessel Pretorius, Boer leader and first president of the South African Republic
R-Z
- Trevor Rabin, musician (1954 - )
- Olive Schreiner, author (1855 - 1920)
- Gerard Sekoto, artist and musician (1913 - 1993)
- Anthony Sher, actor, author and painter (1949 - )
- Joel Stransky, rugby player and TV presenter (1967 - )
- Johannes Strijdom, former prime minister
- Janet Suzman, actress (1939 - )
- Joost van der Westhuizen, rugby player (1971 - )
- Jaco van der Westhuyzen, rugby player (1978 - )
- Joe van Niekerk, rugby player (1980 - )
- B.J. Vorster, former prime minister and state president (1915 - 1983)
- Donald Woods, journalist
- Heinz Winckler, singer and winner of the first series of Idols (1978 - )
See also: List of people by nationality, List of South African Jews
External links
- Great South Africans (http://greatsouthafricans.sabc3.co.za/)
- Competition axed (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3746400.stm)
Other Great People
100 Greatest Britons, Unsere Besten, The Greatest Canadian, De Grootste Nederlander, Suuret Suomalaiset, The Greatest American, and Le Plus Grand Français.fr:Liste des personnalités sud-africaines ja:南アフリカ人の一覧