White South Africans areSouth Africans ofEuropean descent. Inlinguistic, cultural, and historical terms, they are generally divided into theAfrikaans-speaking descendants of theDutch East India Company's original colonists, known asAfrikaners, and theAnglophone descendants of predominantlyBritish colonists ofSouth Africa. In 2016, 57.9% were native Afrikaans speakers, 40.2% were nativeEnglish speakers, and 1.9% spoke another language as their mother tongue,^[2][3] such asPortuguese,Greek, orGerman. White South Africans are by far the largest population ofWhite Africans.White was a legally definedracial classification duringapartheid.^[4]

White South Africans

Wit Suid-Afrikaners (Afrikaans)
Proportion of White South Africans in each municipality according to the census
Total population
4,504,252 (2022 census)[1] 7.3% of South African population
Regions with significant populations
Throughout South Africa, but mostly concentrated in urban areas. Population by provinces, as of the 2022 census:
Gauteng	1,509,800
Western Cape	1,217,807
KwaZulu-Natal	513,377
Eastern Cape	403,061
Free State	235,915
Mpumalanga	185,731
North West	171,887
Limpopo	167,524
Northern Cape	99,150
Languages
Majority:Afrikaans ·English Minority:German ·Italian ·Portuguese[citation needed]
Religion
Christianity Atheism
Related ethnic groups
White Zimbabweans,White Namibians,Afrikaners,French Huguenots,Germans,Coloureds,British diaspora in Africa,South African diaspora, otherWhite Africans

The majority of English-speaking White South Africans trace their ancestry to the 1820 British and Dutch colonists. Other colonists includedHuguenots who emigrated fromFrance, andWalloons who emigrated from present-dayBelgium. The remainder of the White South African population consists of later immigrants from Lebanon, and Europe such asGreeks andNorwegians.Portuguese immigrants arrived after the collapse of thePortuguese colonial administrations inAngola andMozambique, although many also originate fromMadeira.^[5][6][7]

Portuguese explorerBartolomeu Dias was the first European to explore Southern Africa (theCape of Good Hope and theCape Agulhas) in 1488.^[8]

The history of white settlement in South Africa started in 1652 with the settlement of theCape of Good Hope by theDutch East India Company (VOC) underJan van Riebeeck.^[9] Despite the preponderance of officials and colonists from theNetherlands, there were also a number of FrenchHuguenots fleeingreligious persecution at home and German soldiers or sailors returning from service in Asia.^[10] TheCape Colony remained under Dutch rule for two more centuries, after which it was annexed by the United Kingdom around 1806.^[11] At that time, South Africa was home to about 26,000people of European ancestry, a relative majority of whom were still of Dutch origin.^[11] However, the Dutch settlers grew into conflict with the British government over theabolition of the slave trade and limits on colonial expansion into African lands. In order to prevent a frontier war, theBritish Parliament decided to send British settlers to start farms on the eastern frontier.^[12] Beginning in 1818 thousands ofBritish settlers arrived in the growingCape Colony, intending to join the local workforce or settle directly on the frontier.^[11] Ironically most of the farms failed due to the difficult terrain, forcing the British settlers to encroach on African land in order to practisepastoralism.^[12] About a fifth of the Cape's originalDutch-speaking white population migrated eastwards during theGreat Trek in the 1830s and established their own autonomousBoer republics further inland.^[13] Nevertheless, the population of white ancestry (mostly European origin) continued increasing in the Cape as a result of settlement, and by 1865 had reached 181,592 people.^[14] Between 1880 and 1910, there was an influx ofJews (mainly viaLithuania) and immigrants fromLebanon andSyria arriving in South Africa. Recent immigrants from theLevant region of Western Asia were originally classified asAsian, and thus "non-white", but, in order to have the right to purchase land, they successfully argued that they were "white". The main reason being that they were Caucasian and from the lands whereChristianity andJudaism originated from, and that the race laws did not target Jews, who were also aSemitic people. Therefore arguing that if the laws targeted other people from the Levant, it should also affect the Jews.^[15][16]

The first nationwide census in South Africa was held in 1911 and indicated a white population of 1,276,242. By 1936, there were an estimated 2,003,857 white South Africans, and by 1946 the number had reached 2,372,690.^[15] The country began receiving tens of thousands of European immigrants, namely fromGermany,Italy,the Netherlands,Greece, and the territories of thePortuguese Empire during the mid- to late twentieth century.^[17] South Africa's white population increased to over 3,408,000 by 1965, reached 4,050,000 in 1973, and peaked at 5,244,000 in 1994-95.^[18]

The number of white South Africans resident in their home country began gradually declining between 1990 and the mid-2000s as a result of increased emigration.^[18]

Under thePopulation Registration Act of 1950, each inhabitant of South Africa was classified into one of several different race groups, of which White was one. The Office for Race Classification defined a white person as one who "in appearance obviously is, or who is generally accepted as a white person, but does not include a person who, although in appearance obviously a white person, is generally accepted as a coloured person." Many criteria, both physical (e.g. examination of head and body hair) and social (e.g. eating and drinking habits, a native speaker of English, Afrikaans oranother European language) were used when the board decided to classify someone as white or coloured.^[4] The Act was repealed on 17 June 1991.

Black Economic Empowerment legislation further empowers blacks as the government considers ownership, employment, training and social responsibility initiatives, which empower black South Africans, as important criteria when awardingtenders;private enterprises also must adhere to this legislation.^[19] Some reports indicate a growing number of whites in poverty compared to the pre-apartheid years and attribute this to such laws – a 2006 article inThe Guardian stated that over 350,000 Afrikaners may be classified as poor, and alluded to research claiming that up to 150,000 were struggling for survival.^[20][21]

As a consequence of Apartheid policies, Whites are still widely regarded as being one of 4 defined race groups in South Africa. These groups (blacks, whites, Coloureds and Indians) still tend to have strong racial identities, and to identify themselves, and others, as members of these race groups^[22][4] and the classification continues to persist in government policy due to attempts at redress like Black Economic Empowerment and Employment Equity.^[4]

Since the 1990s, there has been a significant emigration of whites from South Africa. Between 1995 and 2005, more than one million South Africans emigrated, citing violence as the main reason, as well as the lack of employment opportunities for whites.^[23]

In recent decades, there has been a steady proportional decline in South Africa's white community, due tohigher birthrates among other South African ethnic groups, as well as a high rate of emigration. In 1977, there were 4.3 million whites, constituting 16.4% of the population at the time. As of 2008, it was estimated that at least 800,000 white South Africans had emigrated since 1995.^[24]

Like many other communities strongly affiliated with theWest and Europe'scolonial legacy in Africa, white South Africans were in the past often economically better off than their black African neighbours and have surrendered political dominance to majority rule. There were also some white Africans in South Africa who lived in poverty—especially during the 1930s and increasingly since the end of minority rule. Current estimates of white poverty in South Africa run as high as 12%, thoughfact-checking website Africa Check described these figures as "grossly inflated" and suggested that a more accurate estimate was that "only a tiny fraction of the white population – as few as 7,754 households – are affected."^[25]

The new phenomenon of white poverty is mostly blamed on the government'saffirmative action employment legislation, which reserves 80% of new jobs for black people^[26] and favours companies owned by black people (seeBlack Economic Empowerment). In 2010,Reuters stated that 450,000 whites live below the poverty line according toSolidarity and civil organisations,^[27] with some research saying that up to 150,000 are struggling for survival.^[28] However, the proportion of white South Africans living in poverty is still much lower than for other groups in the country, since approximately 50% of the general population fall below the upper-boundpoverty line.^[29]

A further concern has been crime. Some white South Africans living in affluent white suburbs, such asSandton, have been affected by the 2008 13.5% rise in house robberies and associated crime.^[30] In a study,Johan Burger, senior researcher at theInstitute for Security Studies (ISS), said that criminals were specifically targeting wealthier suburbs. Burger explained that several affluent suburbs are surrounded by poorer residential areas and that inhabitants in the latter often target inhabitants in the former. The report also found that residents in wealthy suburbs inGauteng were not only at more risk of being targeted but also faced an inflated chance of being murdered during the robbery.^[31]

Theglobal financial crisis slowed the high rates of white people emigrating overseas and has led to increasing numbers of white emigrants returning to live in South Africa. Charles Luyckx, CEO of Elliot International and a board member of the Professional Movers Association, stated in December 2008 that emigration numbers had dropped by 10% in the six months prior. Meanwhile, "people imports" had increased by 50%.^[32]

In May 2014, Homecoming Revolution estimated that around 340,000 white South Africans had returned to South Africa in the preceding decade.^[33]

Furthermore, immigration from Europe has also supplemented the white population. The 2011 census found that 63,479 white people living in South Africa were born in Europe; of these, 28,653 had moved to South Africa since 2001.^[34]

At the end of apartheid in 1994, 85% of South Africa'sarable land was owned by whites.^[35] Theland reform program introduced after the end of apartheid intended that, within 20 years, 30% of white-ownedcommercial farm land should be transferred to black owners. Thus, in 2011, the farmers' association, Agri South Africa, coordinated efforts to resettle farmers throughout the African continent. The initiative offered millions of hectares from 22 African countries that hoped to spur development of efficient commercial farming.^[36] The 30 percent target was not close to being met by the 2014 deadline.^[37] According to a 2017 government audit, 72% of the nation's private farmland is owned by white people.^[38] In February 2018, theParliament of South Africa passed a motion to review the property ownership clause of the constitution, to allow for theexpropriation of land, in the public interest, without compensation,^[39] which was supported within South Africa's rulingAfrican National Congress on the grounds that the land was originally seized by whites without just compensation.^[40] In August 2018, the South African government began the process of taking two white-owned farmlands.^[41] Western Cape ANC secretaryFaiez Jacobs referred to the property clause amendment as a "stick" to force dialogue about the transfer of land ownership, with the hope of accomplishing the transfer "in a way that is orderly and doesn't create a 'them' and 'us' [situation]."^[42]

According to the2022 South African census, white South Africans make 7.3% of South Africa's population.^[44] The province with the highest percentage of white population isWestern Cape at 16.4%, while the white population is below 5% inLimpopo,Mpumalanga,KwaZulu-Natal andNorth West.^[45]

TheStatistics South AfricaCensus 2011 showed that there were about 4,586,838 white people in South Africa, amounting to 8.9% of the country's population.^[46] This was a 6.8% increase since the 2001 census. According to the Census 2011,Afrikaans was thefirst language of 61% of White South Africans, whileEnglish was the first language of 36%.^[3] The majority of white South Africans identify themselves as primarilySouth African, regardless of their first language or ancestry.^[47][48]

Approximately 87% of white South Africans areChristian, 9% areirreligious, and 1% areJewish. The largestChristian denomination is theDutch Reformed Church (NGK), with 23% of the white population being members. Other significant denominations are theMethodist Church (8%), theRoman Catholic Church (7%), and theAnglican Church (6%).^[49]

Meanwhile, many white South Africans have also emigrated to Western countries over the past two decades, mainly toEnglish-speaking countries such as theUnited Kingdom,Australia andNew Zealand. However, the financial crisis has slowed the rate of emigration and in May 2014, the Homecoming Revolution estimated that around 340,000 white South Africans had returned in the preceding decade.^[33]

According toStatistics South Africa, white South Africans comprised 7.7% of the total population of South Africa in 2022. Their proportional share in municipalities may be higher than census figures indicate, given an undercount in the 2001 census.^[50]

The following table shows the distribution of white people byprovince, according to the2011 census:^[3]

After the publication of the2022 census results, it was reported that the undercount rate was 31%. The high undercount rate was reported as an issue of concern as it raised questions about the accuracy of the number of white, Indian, foreign-born andhomeless people recorded in the census.^[51]

Former South African PresidentJacob Zuma commented in 2009 on Afrikaners being "the only white tribe in a black continent or outside ofEurope which is truly African", and said that "of all the white groups that are in South Africa, it is only the Afrikaners that are truly South Africans in the true sense of the word."^[52] These remarks have led to theCentre for Constitutional Rights (CCR) laying a complaint with theHuman Rights Commission against Zuma. According to the CCR's spokesman, Zuma's remarks constituted "unfair discrimination against non-Afrikaans-speaking, white South Africans....."^[53]

In 2015, a complaint was investigated forhate speech against Jacob Zuma who said "You must remember that a man calledJan van Riebeeck arrived here on 6 April 1652, and that was the start of the trouble in this country."^[54]

Former South African PresidentThabo Mbeki stated in one of his speeches to the nation that: "South Africa belongs to everyone who lives in it. Black and White."^[55]

Prior to 1994, a white minority held complete political power under a system ofracial segregation calledapartheid. Duringapartheid, immigrants fromTaiwan,South Korea, andJapan were consideredhonorary whites in the country, as the government had maintained diplomatic relations with these countries. These were granted the same privileges as white people, at least for purposes of residence.^[56] SomeAfrican Americans such asMax Yergan were granted an "honorary white" status as well.^[57]

Statistics for the white population in South Africa vary greatly. Most sources show that the white population peaked in the period between 1989 and 1995 at around 5.2 to 5.6 million. Up to that point, the white population largely increased due to high birth rates and immigration. Subsequently, between the mid-1990s and the mid-2000s, the white population decreased overall. However, from 2006 to 2013, the white population increased.

Contraception among white South Africans is stable or slightly falling: 80% used contraception in 1990, and 79% used it in 1998.^[59]

The average life expectancy at birth for males and females

Average annual household income by population group of the household head.^[71][72]

• Christiaan Barnard, surgeon who performed first successfulhuman heart transplant
• Johan Naude, surgeon and urologist, past president of the South African Urological Association and a pioneering transplant surgeon
• Mike Botha,diamond cutter and educator; Yves Landry Award for Outstanding Innovation in Education, Canada
• Peter Sarnak,Princeton's Eugene Higgins professor of mathematics, specialising innumber theory
• Stanley Skewes, mathematician whose work in number theory produced the record breakingSkewes number
• Percy Deift, mathematician specialising in analysis
• Sydney Brenner,biologist;Nobel Prize, Physiology/Medicine 2002
• Michael Levitt,biophysicist;Nobel Prize, Chemistry 2013
• Allan McLeod Cormack,physicist; Nobel Prize, Medicine 1979
• Gordon Murray, designer ofFormula One race cars, including the Championship winningMcLaren MP4/4 and the ultra-exclusiveMcLaren F1 Roadcar
• Basil Schonland, physicist
• Neil Turok,cosmologist
• George F. R. Ellis, cosmologist
• Max Theiler,virologist;Nobel Prize, Medicine 1951
• Phillip Tobias,palaeo-anthropologist
• Seymour Papert, pioneer ofartificial intelligence

• Flight LieutenantAndrew Beauchamp-ProctorVC,DSO,MC andbar,DFCfighter ace,1st World War
• MajorWilliam Bloomfield VC,South African East African campaign, 1st World War
• CaptainWilliam Faulds VC MC,Delville Wood, 1st World War
• MajorJohn FrostDFC,South African Air Force fighter ace during theSecond World War
• Lieutenant ColonelReginald Frederick Johnson Hayward VC,Western Front, 1st World War
• CaptainPetrus Hugo DSO DFC, fighter ace, Second World War
• Squadron LeaderAlbert Gerald Lewis DFC, South African fighter ace, 2nd World War
• Adolph "Sailor" Malan, Second World War ace fighter pilot
• Squadron LeaderJohn Dering Nettleton VC,Battle of Britain
• MajorOswald Reid VC, 1st World War
• CaptainClement Robertson VC, Western Front
• Lieutenant ColonelJohn Sherwood-Kelly VC CMG DSO,Second Boer War,Bambatha Rebellion, 1st World War
• CaptainQuentin Smythe VC,North Africa 2nd World War
• MajorEdwin SwalesVCDFC, pilot during theSecond World War
• LieutenantKevin WinterbottomHC, South African Air Force
• Staff SergeantDanny Roxo HC,32 Battalion,South African Army
• GeneralConstand ViljoenSSASDSOESMMMM MP, formerSouth African military chief and former leader of theFreedom Front Plus
• Air Vice MarshalJohn Frederick George Howe, CB,CBE,AFC (26 March 1930 – 27 January 2016)
• Lieutenant GeneralDeon Ferreira, (1946-2002) - was a South African Army officer. He served as Chief of Joint Operations before his retirement.

• Charlene, Princess of Monaco
• Bruce Murray, 12th Duke of Atholl

• Etienne de Villiers, investor; media and sports executive
• Ivan Glasenberg, CEO ofGlencore Xstrata, one of the world's largestcommodity trading andmining companies^[77]
• Elon Musk, entrepreneur:SpaceX,Tesla Motors, andPayPal; wealthiest person in the world as of August 2022
• Sol Kerzner, accountant andbusiness magnate mainly in thecasino resort sector
• Harry Oppenheimer, chairman ofAnglo American Corporation for 25 years andDe Beers Consolidated Mines for 27 years
• Nicky Oppenheimer, chairman of theDe Beersdiamond mining company and its subsidiary, theDiamond Trading Company
• Anton Rupert, founder of theRembrandt Group
• Johann Rupert, chairman of the Swiss-basedluxury-goods companyRichemont and South Africa-based companyRemgro
• Desmond Sacco, Chairman and managing director of Assore Limited
• Mark Shuttleworth, founder ofUbuntu, aLinux based computerOperating system; first African inspace
• Christo Wiese, consumer Retail business magnate
• Clive Calder, record executive and businessman who co-founded theZomba Group of Companies

• Louis Botha, farmer, soldier, statesman; firstPrime Minister of South Africa
• P. W. Botha, formerState President of South Africa
• F. W. de Klerk, former State President of South Africa
• Marike de Klerk, formerFirst Lady of South Africa, murdered in her home in 2001
• Sir Patrick DuncanGovernor-General at the start of theSecond World War
• Ruth First, anti-apartheid activist and scholar
• SirJames Percy FitzPatrick, author, politician and businessman
• Derek Hanekom, Deputy Minister of Technology; prominentANC member of Parliament
• Nicholas Haysom, Former legal adviser toNelson Mandela, former United Nations Special Representative toAfghanistan
• Geordin Hill-Lewis,Mayor of Cape Town
• Sandra Laing, white girl reclassified as "Coloured" during the apartheid era
• D. F. Malan, formerPrime Minister of South Africa
• Pieter Mulder, former Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries; leader of theFreedom Front Plus
• Andries Pretorius, former leader of theVoortrekkers who was instrumental in the creation of theSouth African Republic
• Harry Schwarz, lawyer, politician, diplomat and anti-apartheid leader
• Joe Slovo, former leader of theSouth African Communist Party played key part inconstitutional negotiations in the 1990s
• Field MarshalJan Smuts, soldier, politician and former Prime Minister of South Africa during bothWorld Wars. Only person to sign both world war peace treaties on the winning side.
• Jan Steytler, first leader ofProgressive Party of South Africa, former MP
• Helen Suzman,anti-apartheid activist andformer MP, solo anti-apartheid parliamentarian from 1961 to 1974 representing Progressive Party (South Africa), served on firstIndependent Electoral Commission supervising first non-racial national elections in South Africa
• Colin Eglin, former leader of the Progressive Party (South Africa) and its successors and former MP, played key role in building up parliamentary opposition to apartheid in the 1970s and 1980s, and in constitutional negotiations in the 1990s
• Zach de Beer, former Progressive Party (South Africa) MP, subsequent leader ofDemocratic Party and post-apartheid ambassador to The Netherlands, also played key part in constitutional negotiations in the 1990s
• Rick Crouch,City Councillor in theeThekwini Metropolitan Municipality
• Eugène Terre'Blanche, former leader of theAfrikaner Weerstandsbeweging; murdered
• Andries Treurnicht, formerLeader of the Opposition (South Africa) from 1987 to 1993
• Marthinus van Schalkwyk, previous Minister of Tourism and ANC member of Parliament; played a key role in merging theNational Party into the ANC
• Hendrik Verwoerd, former Prime Minister of South Africa; primary architect ofApartheid; assassinated inCape Town, in theHouse of Assembly
• Helen Zille, former leader of theDemocratic Alliance andPremier of the Western Cape

• Mariette Bosch, murderer executed by thegovernment of Botswana in 2001 for the murder of South African Ria Wolmarans
• Micki Pistorius, forensic and investigative psychologist and author

• White Africans of European ancestry
• Bantu peoples of South Africa
• Coloureds
• Cape Malay
• Afrikaners
• History of South Africa
• Portuguese South Africans
• Greek South Africans
• Huguenots in South Africa
• 1820 settlers
• Italian South Africans
• Irish diaspora
• Khoisan
• Asian South Africans
• Indian South Africans
• Japanese South Africans
• Chinese South Africans
• Serbs in South Africa
• Norwegian South Africans
• German South Africans
• History of the Jews in South Africa
• Racism in South Africa
• Demographics of South Africa
• White demographic decline
• White genocide in south africa