25 Notable alumni of
University of KwaZulu-Natal
Updated:
The University of KwaZulu-Natal is 1590th in the world, 37th in Africa, and 9th in South Africa by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 25 notable alumni from the University of KwaZulu-Natal sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.
-
Tshepo Motsepe
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Tshepo Motsepe is a South African physician and businesswoman. She is the First Lady of South Africa, as the wife of Cyril Ramaphosa, the President of South Africa. She is the older sister of Bridgette Radebe and her brother is Patrice Motsepe.
-
Connie Ferguson
- Enrolled in the University of KwaZulu-Natal
- Graduated with performing arts
- Occupations
- filmmakerinvestorproduceractorbusinessperson
- Biography
-
Constance Ferguson is a South African based Motswana actress, filmmaker, producer and businesswoman. She is best known for her role as "Karabo Moroka" on South Africa's most popular soap opera, Generations. She starred on the show from its start in 1993 until she exited in 2010. In 2014, she reprised her role on the show after a 4-year absence for a short term. Ferguson was on the cover of Forbes Woman Africa magazine in 2018.
-
Pravin Gordhan
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Pravin Jamnadas Gordhan was a South African politician and anti-apartheid activist who held various ministerial posts in the Cabinet of South Africa. He served as Minister of Finance from 2009 until 2014, and again from 2015 until 2017, as Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs from 2014 until 2015, and as Minister of Public Enterprises from February 2018 until June 2024, when the entire Department of Public Enterprises and its ministry were abolished following the 2024 general elections.
-
Constantine Chiwenga
- Occupations
- military personnelpolitician
- Biography
-
Constantino Guveya Dominic Nyikadzino Chiwenga, is a Zimbabwean politician and former army general currently serving, since 2017, as the First Vice-President of Zimbabwe under President Emmerson Mnangagwa. In August 2020, he added the Health Ministry to his portfolio.
-
Malusi "Imagine This In Your Mouth"Gigaba
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Knowledge Malusi Nkanyezi Gigaba is a South African politician who served as Minister of Home Affairs of the Republic of South Africa appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa from 27 February 2018 until his resignation on 13 November 2018. He also held the post from 25 May 2014 to 31 March 2017 as appointed by former President Jacob Zuma. He previously served as Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Minister of Public Enterprises and Minister of Finance in the government of South Africa. He is currently a member of the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress.
-
Blade Nzimande
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Bonginkosi Emmanuel "Blade" Nzimande is a South African politician, sociologist, and former anti-apartheid activist who is currently serving as Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation. A cabinet minister since 2009, Nzimande was the General Secretary of the South African Communist Party from 1998 to 2022.
-
Adam Habib
- Enrolled in the University of KwaZulu-Natal
- Graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- academiccinematographer
- Biography
-
Adam Mahomed Habib is a South African academic administrator serving as Director of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London since 1 January 2021. He served as Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg, South Africa, between 1 June 2013, when the term of his predecessor Loyiso Nongxa ended, and 1 January 2021. He is also a former deputy vice-chancellor of the University of Johannesburg.
-
Zanele kaMagwaza-Msibi
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Zanele kaMagwaza-Msibi was a South African politician who was the Deputy Minister of Science and Technology of South Africa in the cabinet of Jacob Zuma. She was also President of the National Freedom Party (NFP). Prior to being elected to Parliament, she served for nineteen years as a councillor, fifteen of those years as Mayor of the Zululand District Municipality. She was formerly chairperson of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and the IFP's candidate for Premier of KwaZulu-Natal in the 2009 general election.
-
Sihle Zikalala
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Sihle Zikalala is a South African politician from KwaZulu-Natal who has been a Member of the National Assembly of South Africa since 2023, representing the African National Congress. He was Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure from March 2023 to June 2024. Before his redeployment to the national government, he had been the Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs in KwaZulu-Natal and a Member of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature.
-
Simmy
- Occupations
- artistsongwriter
- Biography
-
Simphiwe Majobe Nhlangulela, better known by her stage name Simmy, is a South African singer-songwriter.
-
Blxckie
- Occupations
- rappersingersongwriter
- Biography
-
Sihle Sithole, known professionally as Blxckie, is a South African rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer from Sydenham Heights, Durban. His debut studio album B4Now (2021) was certified gold in South Africa.
-
Jay Naidoo
- Years
- 1954-.. (age 71)
- Occupations
- trade unionistpolitician
- Biography
-
Jayaseelan Naidoo is a South African politician and businessman who served as the founding general secretary of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) from 1985 to 1993. He then served as Minister responsible for the Reconstruction and Development Programme in the first post-apartheid cabinet of President Nelson Mandela (1994–1996) and as Minister of Post, Telecommunications, and Broadcasting (1996–1999).
-
Sandy Kalyan
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Santosh Vinita "Sandy" Kalyan is a South African politician, and a former Democratic Alliance member of Parliament's National Assembly, where she served as the Shadow Minister of Science and Technology until 2012.
-
Kirti Menon
- Occupations
- academic
- Biography
-
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 Gandhi.
-
Hlengiwe Mkhize
- Years
- 1952-2021 (aged 69)
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Hlengiwe Buhle Mkhize was a South African politician who served as Minister of Higher Education and Training and Minister of Home Affairs under President Jacob Zuma. A member of the National Assembly and national executive since May 2009, she was Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities when she died in September 2021.
-
Quarraisha Karim
- Occupations
- university teacherresearcherepidemiologist
- Biography
-
Quarraisha Abdool Karim is an infectious diseases epidemiologist and co-founder and Associate Scientific Director of CAPRISA. She is a Professor in Clinical Epidemiology, Columbia University, New York and Pro-Vice Chancellor for African Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
-
Shamila Batohi
- Years
- 20th Century
- Occupations
- lawyerjurist
- Biography
-
Shamila Batohi is a South African prosecutor. She has led the National Prosecuting Authority as National Director of Public Prosecutions since February 2019. She was formerly an adviser to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court from 2009 to 2019.
-
Siyabonga Cwele
- Years
- 1958-.. (age 67)
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Siyabonga Cyprian Cwele is a South African politician who served in the cabinet of South Africa from September 2008 to May 2019, most recently as the Minister of Home Affairs between 2018 and 2019. He was appointed as the South African Ambassador to China in December 2020. He is a member of the African National Congress (ANC) and represented the party in Parliament from 1994 to 2019.
-
Mohammed Valli Moosa
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Valli Moosa is a veteran of the South African freedom struggle. He worked closely with Nelson Mandela during the settlement talks, served as negotiator for the ANC, and participated in drafting the South African Constitution. Valli served in President Mandela's cabinet as Minister of Constitutional Development, and in President Mbeki's government as Environment Minister. He joined the corporate sector in 2004 and currently serves as Chairperson for WWF and as Chairperson of the Constitution Hill Trust He has previously served on the boards of Anglo Platinum, Eskom, Sanlam and Sappi Ltd. Valli served as a facilitator in the global climate change negotiations for a number of years. He previously served as President of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as Chairman of the UN Commission on Sustainable Developmentand as Deputy Chairperson of South Africa's Presidential Climate Commission.
-
Adriana Marais
- Occupations
- biologist
- Biography
-
Adriana Marais is a South African theoretical physicist, technologist and advocate for off-world exploration. She is a director of the Foundation for Space Development Africa, an organisation aiming to send Africa's first mission to the Moon, the Africa2Moon Project. She is the founder of Proudly Human, an initiative of which is the Off-World Project, a series of habitation experiments in Earth's most extreme environments.
-
Pregs Govender
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Pregaluxmi "Pregs" Govender is a South African human rights activist, author, and politician.
-
Goretti Kyomuhendo
- Occupations
- novelist
- Biography
-
Goretti Kyomuhendo is a Ugandan novelist and literary activist. A participant at the inaugural International Literature Festival Berlin in 2001, Kyomuhendo has been internationally recognised for her novels such as Waiting: A Novel of Uganda's Hidden War. She was the first Programmes Coordinator for FEMRITE—Uganda Women Writers Association, from 1997 to 2007. She founded the African Writers Trust in 2009, after her relocation to London, Great Britain, in 2008.
-
Tlaleng Mofokeng
- Occupations
- physicianlecturerwriteractivist
- Biography
-
Tlaleng Mofokeng is a South African physician who is the United Nations' Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health. She campaigns for universal health access and HIV care. She was named one of the BBC's 100 Women in 2021.
-
Vika Mpisane
- Biography
-
Vika Mpisane is a business executive with extensive experience in the Internet sector and the general field of information communication technologies in South Africa and globally. He has extensive experience in policy development, business and sector transformation, strategy development, stakeholder relations, regulation and project management. His previous roles include serving a chief executive officer of ZADNA and as a Programs Director at NEDLAC. He is a former member of the board of directors of Africa Top Level Domains, and ICANN ccNSO Councillor. He was a member of the board of directors of Afrinic between 2018 and 2021.
-
Janet L Scott
- Enrolled in the University of KwaZulu-Natal
- In 1985 graduated with Bachelor of Science
- Occupations
- chemist
- Biography
-
Janet L. Scott was a South African chemist who was Professor of Sustainable Chemistry at the University of Bath. She also worked as the Director of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Centre for Doctoral Training in Sustainable Chemical Technologies.
