100 Notable alumni of
University of the Witwatersrand
Updated:
The University of the Witwatersrand is 380th in the world, 5th in Africa, and 2nd in South Africa by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 100 notable alumni from the University of the Witwatersrand sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.
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Nelson Mandela
- Occupations
- autobiographerlawyerscreenwriterpolitical activistpolitical prisoner
- Biography
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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 eventual multiracial democracy. Ideologically an African nationalist and socialist, he served as the president of the African National Congress (ANC) party from 1991 to 1997.
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Seretse Khama
- Occupations
- lawyerfreedom fighterpolitician
- Biography
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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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Patrick Soon-Shiong
- Occupations
- entrepreneurchief executive officeruniversity teachersurgeonphilanthropist
- Biography
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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, a network of healthcare, biotech, and artificial intelligence startups; an adjunct professor of surgery and executive director of the Wireless Health Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles; and a visiting professor at Imperial College London and Dartmouth College. He is currently Executive Chairman, Global Chief Medical & Technology Officer at ImmunityBio.
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Johnny Clegg
- Occupations
- musiciandancersinger-songwriteranthropologistguitarist
- Biography
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Jonathan Paul Clegg, OBE OIS was a British-born South African musician, singer-songwriter, dancer, anthropologist and anti-apartheid activist.
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Teresa Heinz Kerry
- Occupations
- entrepreneur
- Biography
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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 Philanthropies.
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Patrice Motsepe
- Occupations
- sports executivebusinessperson
- Biography
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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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Manfred Mann
- Occupations
- jazz musiciansongwriterpianistcomposerrecord producer
- Biography
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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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Winnie Madikizela-Mandela
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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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 African National Congress (ANC) political party, she served on the ANC's National Executive Committee and headed its Women's League. Madikizela-Mandela was known to her supporters as the "Mother of the Nation".
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Nadine Gordimer
- Occupations
- playwrightnovelistscientific editorpoetprose writer
- Biography
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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
- Occupations
- actor
- Biography
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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
- Occupations
- jazz musicianstage actortelevision actorvoice actorfilm actor
- Biography
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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
- Occupations
- scenographervisual artistanimatorpaper artistprintmaker
- Biography
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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 second's to two seconds' screen time. A single drawing will be altered and filmed this way until the end of a scene. These palimpsest-like drawings are later displayed along with the films as finished pieces of art.
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Mmusi Maimane
- Enrolled in the University of the Witwatersrand
- Graduated with Master in Public Administration
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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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 to 24 October 2019. He became the first black South African to lead the DA.
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Helen Zille
- Occupations
- journalistpolitician
- Biography
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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 Leader of the Democratic Alliance from 2007 to 2015 and as Mayor of Cape Town from 2006 to 2009.
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Gavin Hood
- Occupations
- screenwriterfilm directorlawyeractorfilm actor
- Biography
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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
- Occupations
- entrepreneurfinancier
- Biography
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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 US$10.9 billion by Forbes; and at A$13.3 billion in the Australian Financial Review 2025 Rich List.
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Eduardo Chivambo Mondlane
- Occupations
- exploreranthropologistpolitician
- Biography
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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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Seymour Papert
- Enrolled in the University of the Witwatersrand
- In 1952 graduated with doctorate in mathematics
- Occupations
- artificial intelligence researcheruniversity teachermathematicianeducatorpsychologist
- Biography
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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
- Occupations
- biotechnologistgeneticistbiologistuniversity teacher
- Biography
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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 Cambridge, England. He established the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism for the investigation of developmental biology, and founded the Molecular Sciences Institute in Berkeley, California, United States.
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Rory Byrne
- Occupations
- engineer
- Biography
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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
- Occupations
- writeractivistanti-apartheid activistpolitician
- Biography
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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
- Occupations
- film actortelevision actorstage actor
- Biography
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Atandwa Kani is a South African actor. He is the son of actor John Kani.
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Robert Sobukwe
- Enrolled in the University of the Witwatersrand
- Studied in 1957
- Occupations
- educatoractivist
- Biography
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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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Ruth First
- Occupations
- university teacherpoliticianwriterjournalistpolitical activist
- Biography
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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
- Occupations
- writerpolitician
- Biography
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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 but withdrew from politics in July 2014. Since 2018, she has been the co-president of the Club of Rome.
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Dean Israelite
- Occupations
- screenwriterwriterfilm director
- Biography
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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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Aaron Klug
- Occupations
- university teacherbiophysicistchemistmolecular biologistbiochemist
- Biography
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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
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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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 2025. Following the decision to remove him, Shivambu announced the Mayibuye Consultation, a splinter group.
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Thuli Madonsela
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
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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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Precious Moloi-Motsepe
- Occupations
- physicianphilanthropistfashion entrepreneur
- Biography
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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
- Occupations
- politicianminister
- Biography
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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 the Southern African Development Community in Harare, Zimbabwe. Motshekga also served as the Minister of Basic Education from May 2009 to 2024. She was previously a Member of the Executive Council in the Gauteng provincial government. Motshekga is a member of the African National Congress. She is a former president of the party's women's league.
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Denise Scott Brown
- Occupations
- university teacherurban plannerarchitect
- Biography
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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
- Occupations
- writeractivist
- Biography
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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 the Council for a Beautiful Israel.
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Michael Tellinger
- Years
- 1960-.. (age 66)
- Occupations
- politicianwritermusician
- Biography
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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 the Blaauboschkraal stone ruins, interpreted by mainstream archaeology as 16th century boundary markers, as 'Adam's Calendar', an alien-built structure at the center of a network of stone circles across Southern Africa which purportedly channeled energy in ancient times.
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George Bizos
- Occupations
- human rights defenderjuristlawyer
- Biography
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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 government, throughout the hearings of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He also represented victims of the Marikana massacre.
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Peter Sarnak
- Occupations
- mathematicianuniversity teacher
- Biography
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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. He is known for his work in analytic number theory. He was member of the Board of Adjudicators and for one period chairman of the selection committee for the Mathematics award, given under the auspices of the Shaw Prize.
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Tony Leon
- Occupations
- lawyerjournalistdiplomatpolitician
- Biography
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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 in parliament since the advent of democracy in 1994. Although still a member of the DA, he served as the South African Ambassador to Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay under the African National Congress government from 2009 to 2012.
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Mamokgethi Phakeng
- Occupations
- mathematicianuniversity teacher
- Biography
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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 an invited speaker at the International Congresses of Mathematicians. In February 2023 it was announced that she would leave her position as vice-chancellor of UCT and take early retirement. She was succeeded by Professor Daya Reddy on 13 March 2023.
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Harry Schwarz
- Occupations
- judgepoliticianlawyerdiplomathuman rights defender
- Biography
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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
- Occupations
- film actortelevision actorultramarathon runner
- Biography
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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 holder over 50 miles and the former world record holder over 100 km.
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Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams
- Occupations
- politicianminister
- Biography
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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 (ANC).
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Richard Goldstone
- Occupations
- university teacherlawyerjudge
- Biography
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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, he was a commercial lawyer in Johannesburg, where he entered legal practice in 1963 and took silk in 1976.
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Jani Allan
- Occupations
- film criticmodeljournalistradio personality
- Biography
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Jani Allan was a South African journalist, columnist, writer, broadcaster, and media personality.
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Barbara Hogan
- Occupations
- politicianminister
- Biography
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Barbara Anne Hogan is a former Minister of Health and of Public Enterprises in the Cabinet of South Africa.
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Lana Marks
- Occupations
- fashion designer
- Biography
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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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Koos du Plessis
- Occupations
- writersongwriterpoetsinger
- Biography
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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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Lesetja Kganyago
- Occupations
- bankereconomist
- Biography
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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 Stellenbosch University, following the end of Justice Edwin Cameron’s term.
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David Anthony King
- Occupations
- chemist
- Biography
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Sir David Anthony King is a South African-born British chemist, academic, and head of the Climate Crisis Advisory Group (CCAG).
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Mark Solms
- Occupations
- university teacherpsychoanalystpsychiatristpsychologistneuroscientist
- Biography
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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 Association. He is also Research Chair of the International Psychoanalytical Association (since 2013).
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Angelique Rockas
- Occupations
- dancerresearchertelevision actortheatre practitionertheatrical producer
- Biography
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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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John Murray, 11th Duke of Atholl
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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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
- Occupations
- embryologistuniversity teacherbiologistcell biologistengineer
- Biography
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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 inform cells with the same genetic regulatory network of their position and role.
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Zanele Dlamini Mbeki
- Occupations
- social workerpolitician
- Biography
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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
- Years
- 1947-.. (age 79)
- Occupations
- political scientisteconomist
- Biography
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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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Dennis Brutus
- Enrolled in the University of the Witwatersrand
- 1960-1962 studied law
- Occupations
- writerpoetuniversity teacheractivist
- Biography
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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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Barbara Creecy
- Occupations
- politicianminister
- Biography
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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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Sibongile Khumalo
- Occupations
- opera singerjazz musician
- Biography
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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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Garfield Todd
- Occupations
- missionarypolitician
- Biography
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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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Khanyi Dhlomo
- Occupations
- editor
- Biography
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Khanyi Dhlomo is a South African journalist and magazine editor.
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Herman Charles Bosman
- Occupations
- playwrightwriterjournalist
- Biography
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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
- Occupations
- businessperson
- Biography
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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
- Occupations
- modelactivist
- Biography
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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, Thando Hopa Media, which works to provide diverse representation across media platforms. She is an active advocate for those with albinism as a founding delegate of the Global Albinism Alliance and Vice Chairperson for the African Albinism Network. Hopa is also a public speaker who has presented at conferences around the world about the importance of inclusion and equity.
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Refilwe Mtsweni
- Years
- 1973-.. (age 53)
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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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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David Webster
- Occupations
- political activistanti-apartheid activistanthropologist
- Biography
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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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Geoff Makhubo
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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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
- Enrolled in the University of the Witwatersrand
- In 1988 graduated with bachelor's degree
- Occupations
- singer
- Biography
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Claire Johnston is an Anglo-South African singer and songwriter. She is the lead singer of the South African fusion band Mango Groove.
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Lebogang Mashile
- Occupations
- musicianwriteractivistactorpoet
- Biography
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Lebogang Mashile is an American-born South African performance poet, author, presenter, actress and producer.
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Elisabeth Eybers
- Occupations
- translatorpoetjournalistwriter
- Biography
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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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Benedict Wallet Vilakazi
- Occupations
- translatorpoetlinguistwriter
- Biography
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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. In 1946, Vilakazi also became the first Black South African to receive a PhD.
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Connie Mulder
- Occupations
- politicianminister
- Biography
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Cornelius Petrus Mulder was a South African politician and cabinet minister.
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Carlos Cardoso
- Occupations
- journalistpolitician
- Biography
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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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Kirti Menon
- Occupations
- academic
- Biography
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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.
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Olivia Forsyth
- Occupations
- spypolice officer
- Biography
-
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 six months hiding in the British embassy in Luanda.
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Adjetey Anang
- Years
- 1973-.. (age 53)
- Enrolled in the University of the Witwatersrand
- Graduated with master's degree in dramatic art
- Occupations
- actor
- Biography
-
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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Norman E. Rosenthal
- Occupations
- authorpsychiatristuniversity teachermedical researcher
- Biography
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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
- Occupations
- lawyerjudge
- Biography
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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 Counsel at Choate Hall & Stewart, and a member of the Council of the American Law Institute. Marshall was elected in 2017 to the American Philosophical Society.
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Max Price
- Occupations
- academic
- Biography
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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
- Occupations
- anthropologistprehistorianuniversity teacherpaleoanthropologistpaleontologist
- Biography
-
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
- Occupations
- politicianminister
- Biography
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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.
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Thabang Makwetla
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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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 earlier from 2009 to 2014, and in the interim he was Deputy Minister of Justice and Correctional Services from 2014 to 2019.
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Judith Mason
- Occupations
- printmakerpainter
- Biography
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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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Diane Victor
- Occupations
- lithographerdraftspersonprintmaker
- Biography
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Diane Victor, is a South African artist and print maker, known for her satirical and social commentary of contemporary South African politics.
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Dion George
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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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
- Occupations
- physicist
- Biography
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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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Helen Nissenbaum
- Years
- 1954-.. (age 72)
- Occupations
- university teacherphilosopher
- Biography
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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 obfuscation to maintain user privacy.
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Akiva Tatz
- Born in
-
South Africa - Occupations
- rabbi
- Biography
-
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
- Occupations
- writerchildren's writerpoetphilosopher
- Biography
-
Athol Williams is a South African poet, applied philosopher and business lecturer based at Oxford University.
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Wanda Orlikowski
- Years
- 20th Century
- Occupations
- computer scientistuniversity teacher
- Biography
-
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
- Occupations
- physicianresearchermicrobiologistpediatrician
- Biography
-
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 of the "100 Most Influential People" by Time in 2017 and was listed amongst "Africa's 50 Most Powerful Women" by Forbes Africa in 2020. Her research expertise involves developing microbicides for sexually transmitted diseases and HIV vaccines.
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Paula Slier
- Occupations
- journalistwar correspondent
- Biography
-
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
- Occupations
- biographerwriteropinion journalistpoliticianjournalist
- Biography
-
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
- Occupations
- rugby union match officialrugby union playerCategory:Rugby sevens referees
- Biography
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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
- Occupations
- engineercivil engineer
- Biography
-
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
- Biography
-
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
- Enrolled in the University of the Witwatersrand
- In 1954 graduated with Bachelor of Science in mining engineering
- Occupations
- surgeon
- Biography
-
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 established it as one of Europe's leading heart–lung transplant programmes. Professor John Wallwork subsequently developed the heart lung transplantation programme at Papworth.
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John Antonakis
- Occupations
- university teacher
- Biography
-
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 high of 10.517), wherein he and his team focused on publishing more experimental research, ensuring the use of robust designs to enable causal conclusions in applied research or proper description of a phenomenon in basic research, as well as the use of open-science practices.
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Antony Polonsky
- Occupations
- historian
- Biography
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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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Kevin Mileham
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
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 National Elections, he was appointed the Shadow Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs. In February 2019, he was appointed as Shadow Minister of Energy. After the National and Provincial Elections on 8 May 2019, Mileham was appointed as Shadow Minister of the expanded portfolio of Mineral Resources and Energy. Mileham was re-elected to Parliament in 2024.
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Ferial Haffajee
- Occupations
- journalist
- Biography
-
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
- Enrolled in the University of the Witwatersrand
- In 1924 graduated with master's degree
- Occupations
- social activistsecretarysecondary school teacher
- Biography
-
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 led the movement single handed".
