29.8579° S, 31.0251° E

DURBAN

Most Famous People Born in Durban, South Africa

Notable people
589
Peak decade
1980s
Median birth year
1972
Most distinctive
Surfer 45.2×
Through the Decades

One face per decade — the most globally famous figure born in Durban during each.

Notable Births by Decade

Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1980s with 137 notable births.

What Durban Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Cricket is Durban's biggest profession — 19% of all notables (113).

Durban over-indexes on surfer — 45.2× the global rate.

Durban under-produces politician — only 0.4× the global rate.

  1. Cricket113
  2. Player94
  3. Football60
  4. Politician27
  5. Actor24
  6. Sport21
  7. Singer13
  8. Golf10
  1. Surfer745.2×
  2. Cricket11315.1×
  3. Golf1010.0×
  4. Player948.2×
  5. Swimmer103.5×
  6. Sport212.1×
  1. Politician270.4×
  2. Writer100.5×

Profession Mix Over Time

Each band shows a profession family's share of Durban's notable births by decade. Hover the chart for the breakdown at any decade.

1850187519001925195019752000
  • Sports
  • Film & TV
  • Politics & Law
  • Music
  • Writing
  • Art & Design
  • Other
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Showing 46 of 589 notable people

0019 POLITICAL

Arun Manilal Gandhi

Born 1934

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0023 SINGER

Mimi Coertse

Born 1932

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0032 WRITER

Lewis Nkosi

1936 - 2010

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0047 CHEMIST

David King (chemist)

Born 1939

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0048 POET

Mazisi Kunene

1930 - 2006

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0067 EDUCATION

Patrick van Rensburg

1931 - 2017

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0070 FILM

Glyn Jones (South African writer)

1931 - 2014

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0085 PLAYER

Renée Schuurman

1939 - 2001

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0089 POLITICIAN

Kader Asmal

1934 - 2011

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0118 ACTOR

Mary Peach

Born 1934

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0129 SPORT

Alfred Swift

1931 - 2009

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0133 SPORT

Thomas Shardelow

1931 - 2019

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0146 ACTOR

Anna Karen

Born 1936

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0147 DESIGNER

Margaret Calvert

Born 1936

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0148 CRICKET

Trevor Goddard (cricketer)

1931 - 2016

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0154 SPORT

Sam Ramsamy

Born 1938

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0173 FOOTBALL

Darius Dhlomo

1931 - 2015

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0185 DRIVER

Brausch Niemann

Born 1939

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0203 GEOLOGIST

Lawrence Alexander Hardie

1933 - 2013

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0204 LAWYER

John Didcott

1931 - 1998

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0206 DRIVER

Bruce Johnstone (racing driver)

Born 1937

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0239 MUSIC

Andrew Tracey

Born 1936

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0282 CRICKET

Derek Varnals

Born 1935

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0289 PLAYER

Jonathan Fellows-Smith

1932 - 2013

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0300 SPRINT

Edward Jefferys

1936 - 1998

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0315 AUTHOR

Robert Kirby (satirist)

1936 - 2007

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0317 CRICKET

Colin Wesley

Born 1937

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0318 SPORT

Precious McKenzie

Born 1936

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0322 CRICKET

Mike Macaulay

Born 1939

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0330 KILLED

Ian Corden-Lloyd

1938 - 1978

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0332 HOCKEY

Del Topoll

Born 1933

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0347 FOOTBALL

Des Horne

1939 - 2015

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0365 CRICKET

Peter Cousens (cricketer)

Born 1932

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0385 SCULPTOR

Frida Blumenberg

Born 1935

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0388 ARCHITECT

Hans Hallen

Born 1930

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0435 ACTOR

Maurice Podbrey

Born 1934

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0450 CRICKET

Robin Greene

1931 - 2014

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0461 CRICKET

Peter Dodds

Born 1933

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0522 PLAYER

Nick Labuschagne

Born 1931

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0538 CRICKET

Lynton Morby-Smith

Born 1936

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0554 CRICKET

Arthur Tayfield

Born 1931

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0563 CRICKET

Malcolm Smith (cricketer)

1932 - 2012

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0565 CRICKET

Thomas Bryant (cricketer)

1933 - 2012

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0566 FOOTBALL

Arthur Lightening

1936 - 2001

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0583 CRICKET

John Siedle

1932 - 2008

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0587 MUSIC

Renna Kellaway

Born 1934

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