List of South African politicians

South Africa

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of South Africa

Constitution Bill of Rights Government Executive President Jacob Zuma Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe Cabinet Shadow Cabinet Legislative Parliament National Council of Provinces Chairperson M. J. Mahlangu National Assembly Speaker Max Sisulu Leader of the Opposition Helen Zille (national) Lindiwe Mazibuko (parliament) Judiciary Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng Pres. of Supreme Court of Appeal Lex Mpati Courts Constitutional Court Supreme Court of Appeal High Courts Magistrates' Courts Elections General: 1910 1915 1920 1921 1924 1929 1933 1938 1943 1948 1953 1958 1961 1966 1970 1974 1977 1981 1984 1987 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 Municipal: 2000 2006 2011 2016 Referendums: 1960 1983 1992 Administrative divisions Provinces Districts (MMs, DMs) Municipalities (list) Other Political parties Foreign relations Taxation

Other countries · Atlas Politics portal

The following is a list of South African politicians, both past and present.

See also: List of South Africans, President of South Africa

A

• Prince Arthur of Connaught 1883 - 1938; Governor-General 1920-23
• Ken Andrew b.1943, chairman of Democratic Party 1991-94
• Kader Asmal b.1934, Minister of Education 1999-2004

B

• Glenn Babb b.1943, Ambassador to Canada (1985-87), and to Italy; Nationalist Party Member of Parliament
• Sibusiso Bengu b.1934 Minister of Education (1994-99)
• Goodwill Zwelethini kaBhekuzulu, b.1948 traditional King of Zulu nation 1971- present
• Louis Botha, 1862-1919 Prime Minister of South Africa, 1910-1919
• P.W. Botha, 1916-2006 Prime Minister of South Africa (1978-84); State President (1984-89)
• Thozamile Botha (b.1948), ANC activist
• Mangosuthu Buthelezi (b.1928); Inkosi of the Buthelezi tribe, 1953-present; Chief Minister of KwaZulu "Homeland" (1976-94)
• Sydney Buxton, 1st Earl Buxton (1853-1934); Governor-General 1914-1920
• Steve Biko (1946 - 1977); Black Consciousness leader;
• Schalk Willem Burger (1852-1918); President of the South African Republic, (Transvaal), 1900-1902

C

• Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone 1874-1957; Governor-General 1924-30;
• Arthur Chaskalson b.1931; Chief Justice of South Africa, 2001–2005
• Jeremy Cronin (b.1949); Communist SACP activist

D

Patricia de Lille

• Zach de Beer (1928-99), last leader of Progressive Federal Party, co-founder of Democratic Party
• F.W. de Klerk (b.1936); last State President, 1989-94; succeeded by Nelson Mandela
• Patricia de Lille (b.1951); founder, in 2003, of Independent Democrats
• Nicolaas Jacobus de Wet (1873-1960); Governor-General 1943-46
• Nicolaas Johannes Diederichs (1903-78); State President 1975-78
• Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma (b.1949); Foreign Minister 1999-2009
• Patrick Duncan (1870-1943); Governor-General 1937-43;

E

Abba Eban

• Abba Eban (1915-2002), Israeli diplomat and politician; VP of the United Nations General Assembly, and Foreign Minister of Israel
• Colin Eglin (b. 1925), leader of Progressive Party 1971-1975, Progressive Reform Party 1975-1977, and Progressive Federal Party 1977-1979 & 1986-1988

F

• Jacobus Johannes Fouché (1898-1980); State President 1968-75

G

• Herbert John Gladstone (1854-1930); Governor-General 1910-14;

H

J. B. M. Hertzog

• Chris Hani (1942- ), leader of South African Communist Party from 1991 until his assassination in 1993
• J. B. M. Hertzog (1866-1942); Prime Minister of South Africa 1924-39

J

• Ernest George Jansen (1881-1959); Governor-General 1950-59;
• Danny Jordaan (b.1951), MP 1994-97, more famous for bringing 2010 World Cup to South Africa.

K

• Paul Kruger (1825-1904); "Oom Paul", President of the South African Republic (Transvaal), 1883-1900
• Piet Koornhof (1925-2007), apartheid-era cabinet minister and ambassador, later a member of the African National Congress

L

• Harry Lawrence (1901-1973): United Party Minister 1939-1948 and first Progressive Party Chairman from 1959
• Tony Leon (b.1956); Leader of the Opposition, 1999-2007
• Albert Luthuli (1898-1967), President of the African National Congress, 1952-67

M

Nelson Mandela

• Daniel François Malan (1874-1959); Prime Minister of South Africa 1948-54
• General Magnus Malan (b.1930), Chief of South African Defense Force 1976-80; Minister of Defence, 1980-91;
• Wynand Malan (b.1943); co-founder of Independent Party and Democratic Party
• Nelson Mandela (b. 1918); leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe 1961-90; President of South Africa 1994-99
• Trevor Manuel (b.1956); Minister of Finance, 1996-2009;
• Thabo Mbeki (b.1942); President of South Africa 1999-2008;
• Frank Mdlalose (b.1931); Premier of KwaZulu-Natal Province, 1994-97
• Donald Barkly Molteno (1908-1972); anti-apartheid M.P.
• James Molteno (1865-1936); First Speaker of the South African Parliament 1910-15
• John Molteno (1814-1886); First Prime Minister of the Cape Colony 1872-78

N

• Jozua François Naudé (1889-1969); Acting State President, 1967-68
• Bulelani Ngcuka (b. 1954); National Director of Public Prosecutions 1998-2004

O

• Dullah Omar (1934-2004); Minister of Justice, 1994-99; Minister of Transport 1999-2004

P

• Marthinus Wessel Pretorius (1819-1901); First President of the South African Republic (1857-63)

R

• Cyril Ramaphosa (b.1952); Secretary General of African National Congress 1991-94; Chairman of Constitutional Assembly 1994-97
• Deneys Reitz (1882-1944); Boer Commando, soldier (World War I), Cabinet Minister, Deputy Prime Minister (1939-1943), High Commissioner to London (1944)

S

• Harry Schwarz (1924-2010); Leader of Reform Party, leading anti-apartheid M.P. and Ambassador to United States 1991-94
• Mosima "Tokyo" Sexwale; Premier of Gauteng province, 1994-98
• Field Marshal Jan Smuts (1870-1950); Prime Minister, 1919-24 and 1939-48
• Joe Slovo (1926-95); General Secretary of SACP 1984-91
• Saul Solomon (1817-92); Prominent liberal member of the Cape Parliament 1854-83
• Jan Steytler (1910-?); leader of Progressive Party 1959-70
• Lucas Cornelius Steyn (1903-76); Chief Justice 1959-76; Acting Governor-General 1959, 1961
• Johannes Gerhardus Strijdom (1893-1958); Prime Minister 1954-58
• Helen Suzman (1917-2009); anti-apartheid M.P. 1952-1981
• Charles Robberts Swart (1894-1982); Governor-General 1960-61; first State President 1961-67
• Mbhazima Shilowa (b.1958); Premier of Gauteng Province, 1999-2008

V

• Jan van Riebeeck (1619-77); first Dutch administrator of Cape Town settlement, 1652-62
• Frederik van Zyl Slabbert (b. 1940); Leader of the Opposition as chairman of the Progressive Federal Party, 1979-86.
• Gideon Brand van Zyl (1873-1956); Governor-General, 1945-50
• H.F. Verwoerd (1901-66); nicknamed "The Architecht of Apartheid"; Prime Minister, 1958-66, until his assassination.
• George Villiers, 6th Earl of Clarendon (1877-1955); Governor-General, 1931-37;
• Marais Viljoen (1915-2007); State President, 1979-84
• B.J. Vorster (1915-83); Prime Minister, 1966-78; State President, 1978-79

Z

• Jacob Zuma (b. 1942); President of South Africa 2007 - present

• Zille, Helen (b.1951); Mayor of Cape Town, 2006-2009; Premier of Western Cape province, 2009- present)