25.7459° S, 28.1894° E

PRETORIA

Most Famous People Born in Pretoria, South Africa

Notable people
558
Peak decade
1980s
Median birth year
1978
Most distinctive
Golf 12.7×
Through the Decades

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

Notable Births by Decade

Click a decade to filter the list below. Peak: 1980s with 133 notable births.

What Pretoria Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Player is Pretoria's biggest profession — 24% of all notables (136).

Pretoria over-indexes on golf — 12.7× the global rate.

Pretoria under-produces politician — only 0.3× the global rate.

  1. Player136
  2. Cricket80
  3. Sport42
  4. Football32
  5. Politician23
  6. Actor15
  7. Swimmer12
  8. Golf12
  1. Golf1212.7×
  2. Player13612.5×
  3. Cricket8011.3×
  4. Sport424.5×
  5. Swimmer124.4×
  6. Rower62.9×
  7. Boxer62.7×
  8. Judge72.7×
  1. Politician230.3×
  2. Actor150.5×
  3. Football320.5×
  4. Writer100.6×

Profession Mix Over Time

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

18751900192519501975
  • Sports
  • Politics & Law
  • Music
  • Writing
  • Film & TV
  • Science
  • Other
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Showing 16 of 558 notable people

0015 WRITER

Es'kia Mphahlele

1919 - 2008

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0031 POLITICIAN

Lillian Ngoyi

1911 - 1980

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0064 PAINTER

Alexis Preller

1911 - 1975

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0086 CIVIL RIGHTS

Mary Benson (campaigner)

1919 - 2000

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0134 COMEDIAN

Stanley Unwin (comedian)

1911 - 2002

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0168 NAVY

Arthur Hezlet

1914 - 2007

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0178 OFFICER

Neil Wheeler

1917 - 2009

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0236 PHYSICIAN

Alexander Lipmann-Kessel

1914 - 1986

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0244 BOTANIST

Lucy Katherine Armitage Chippindall

1913 - 1992

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0261 ARCHITECT

Margaret Casson

1913 - 1999

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0444 CRICKET

William Henderson (cricketer)

1917 - 1995

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0489 CRICKET

Basil Malan

1911 - 1967

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0500 POLITICIAN

John Christopher Smuts

1910 - 1979

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0504 PLAYER

Jakkals Keevy

Born 1917

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0521 CRICKET

Ronald Edwards (cricketer)

1917 - 2013

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0549 PATHOLOGIST

Margaret Keay

1911 - 1998

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