South Africa
7 profiles with fame based in South Africa
South Africa — figures with Russian and Soviet roots
This page documents 7 notable figures based in South Africa whose biographies connect to the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, or the states that succeeded them — through birth, parentage, or earlier ancestry. Each profile is sourced and records the specific origin and connection.
Helen Suzman
Lithuanian-Russian Jewish South African who stood alone in parliament against apartheid for 13 years
Janet Suzman
South African actress with Lithuanian-Russian Jewish roots who became a Dame of British theatre
Joe Slovo
Born in a Lithuanian shtetl, became the white communist leader of the ANC armed struggle against apartheid
Nadine Gordimer
Nobel Prize-winning South African novelist whose father came from Latvia — wrote the moral conscience of apartheid
Sol Kerzner
Born to Russian-Jewish immigrants in South Africa — built Sun City and One&Only into global resort empires
Tony Leon
South African opposition leader whose family came from Lithuania and Russia — led the Democratic Alliance against apartheid's legacy
William Kentridge
South Africa's greatest living artist — his family came from Lithuania and Russia