Helen Suzman was born in 1917 in South Africa to Lithuanian-Jewish immigrants. She spent a total of 36 years in Parliament before retiring in 1989 – most of which was spent criticising the National Party’s white privilege policies and demanding civil rights for all South Africans. more

Born into a long line of apartheid politicians, he is celebrated as the bold leader who broke away from fundamentalist Afrikaner prejudice: he unbanned the African National Congress, released Nelson Mandela from prison, and supported the notion of a one-man, one-vote national election. more

EM Merrifield was the South African harbour engineer credited with inventing the dolos breakwater device. Based on the principle of dissipating powerful waves as opposed to resisting them, Merrifield’s dolosse utilise a distinctive and highly effective design that are now commonplace on breakwaters around the world. more

Humanitarian hero, Archbishop Desmond Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his continued struggle against the apartheid regime. After the abolition of apartheid, Nelson Mandela appointed the Archbishop as Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. more

Alan MacLeod Cormack’s extensive research and experiments using computed tomography provided the theoretical foundation on which the first, revolutionary CT scanner was built. He was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in 1979 for his efforts that ultimately led to a major medical breakthrough. more

Humanitarian hero Albert Luthuli played a major part in the liberation struggle against the apartheid regime, heading operations like the Defiance Campaign. Leading the African National Congress (ANC) during South Africa's most tumultuous political times, Luthuli was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for his work. more

Alfred Nzo was a key figure in South Africa’s liberation movement and went on to be the new government’s first Foreign Minister. Together with Oliver Tambo, Nzo spent a huge chunk of his life in exile, serving as its secretary-general overseas. more

Aaron Klug is the man who put crystallographic electron microscopy on the map. He’s also known for his extensive research into viruses, which heralded discoveries into the structure of the tobacco mosaic virus. Klug has been honoured numerous times for his contributions and was awarded the 1982 Nobel Prize for Chemistry. more

Since 1990, it has become custom that whenever a world dignitary visits South Africa, first prize on their itinerary is a meeting with the inspirational Nelson Mandela. This leader of leaders can count presidents, prime ministers, Hollywood stars, music legends and fashion superstars as long-time fans. more

Writer JRR Tolkien might have only spent three years in Bloemfontein, but South Africa is proud that the author of 'The Lord of the Rings' was born in the capital city of what is now the Free State province. His father's grave can be found in Bloemfontein’s cemetery. more

Today, humanitarian hero Frank Chikane is a proud father of 3 with a wall full of merits and his autobiography, 'No Life of My Own', on the bookshelf. He helped to change the landscape for many South Africans, with his bible firmly under his arm and his hope anchored in a higher power. more