South Africans are fast becoming leaders in their fields both locally and internationally. Here are some South Africans who have excelled to become recognised not only in their home country, but around the world as well. Please note that this is not a list of top South Africans who have made it big internationally, but just random individuals who deserve a mention.

1. Charlize Theron

Think about the most internationally successful person from South Africa, and Charlize Theron automatically springs to mind. This Academy Award winning actress, who rose to fame by playing supporting roles alongside some of the biggest names in Hollywood, now commands millions of dollars for a starring role in a motion picture. She is now one of the top earning actresses in Hollywood, placing her in the same category as American actresses like Cameron Diaz, Reece Witherspoon and Halle Berry.

Charlize has starred in a host of Hollywood movies, including The Devil’s Advocate, Mighty Joe Young, The Cider House Rules, The Italian Job, and movies such as Monster, North Country, and the Life and Death of Peter Sellers. But it was her convincing role in Monster, playing the part of serial killer Aileen Wuornos, that made people sit up and take notice, even garnering her several top awards, including an Academy Award for Best Actress. Soon Charlize was flying the South African flag high by being both a successful actress and animal rights activist. She has also just become the UN messenger of peace after been asked to take the position by UN secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.

2. Gavin Hood

Been a renowned South African director is one thing, but being an Academy Award winning South African director is something completely different. This is a title not many South African director can hold. But then again Gavin Hood, writer, producer, actor, and the director best known for his work on the Academy Award winning movie Tsotsi, is not just another South African director.

His directing career started years ago, and he managed to reap the rewards at the Oscars. But Hood is no stranger to the Oscars: he directed his first commercial short film, The Storekeeper, in 1998. It earned him his first Academy Award nomination.

Other films include his first feature film, A Reasonable Man in 1998, and the Polish language feature film, In Desert and Wilderness. His first Hollywood film was Rendition, in 2007, and he has also been announced as the director of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a movie based on Marvel Comics character of the same name. Hugh Jackman reprises his role of Wolverine from the X-Men films.

3. Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Starting from humble beginnings Ladysmith Black Mambazo has become one of the biggest international acts to come out of South Africa. They are a male choral group who sings in a distinctive siscathamiya and mbube style, and rose to worldwide prominence after singing with Paul Simon on his Graceland album. They have won many awards, including 2 Grammies and multiple Grammy nominations. The group has recorded with a string of internationally renowned recording artists, including Zap Mama, Sarah McLachlan, Melissa Esteridge, Josh Groban and Emmylou Harris.

4. JRR Tolkien

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was a South African-born English writer, poet, philanthropist and university professor, best known as the author of the fantasy books The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the latter being transformed into a three-part, big budget motion picture. It was Tolkien who revived the high fantasy genre when his works were published by his son after his death. Tolkien’s writing inspired many other works of fantasy and has had a lasting effect on the entire genre. In 2008, The Times ranked him sixth on the list of ‘50 Greatest British writers since 1945′, even though he was born in South Africa.

5. Gary Player

When it comes to teeing off on the putting greens, no one can do it quite like Gary Player. And he will probably be playing a game on a course he designed himself. Player is a world-recognised championship golf player who has excelled in the field thanks to high values, a stringent regimen of health and fitness, and an insistence on quality. This has not only earned him fame and success throughout the world, but admiration as well.

Dubbed the Black Night, Mr Fitness, and the International Ambassador of Golf, Gary Player is also a renowned golf architect, having designed more than 300 golf courses throughout the world.

6. Benni McCarthy

Growing up on the Cape Flats in the Western Cape didn’t stop Benni McCarthy from giving up on his dreams of being a professional football player, and thank goodness for that. Because if it did, we would have missed out on one of the most talented footballers to come out of South Africa. Currently playing for English side Blackburn Rovers, Benni started his career at the Cape Town Spurs, a local club that is now known as Ajax Cape Town.

After scoring goal after goal, and an impressive showing at the African Youth Cup and FIFA World Youth Championship, he joined a Dutch side, where he continued to score. He was even crowned champion in his first season. Soon he was sold to Spanish side Celta Vigo for a reported 6 million Euros, the most expensive transfer for a South African player at the time.

After struggling for some time at Celta, McCarthy was lent to FC Porto in the 2001-02 season, where he thrived and took the team to victory at the 2004 UEFA Champions League, even scoring two goals against current champions Manchester United. In 2006, McCarthy flew to England to sign his contract to join Blackburn Rovers for a fee of £2.5 million.

7. Lucas Radebe

Lucas Radebe is a world-renowned soccer player, most famously for his time at the English side Leeds United and his work with South African soccer. Born in Soweto, who would have thought Radebe would go on to become a leading figure in the world of soccer. His talent was noticed at a young age, and Lucas was soon signed by Kaizer Chiefs Football Club as a midfielder. Radebe soon moved to Leeds United in England, where he became known as ‘The Chief’ because of his dominance on the field, especially in defense.

He was soon made captain of the team for the 1998-99 season. Donning the captain jersey Leeds went on to be successful at both the FA Premier League (finishing fourth) and qualifying for the UEFA Cup. During the season of 1999-2000, Leeds finished third in the Premier League and qualified for the Champions League, where they reached the semi-finals. Radebe has since retired from professional soccer, but is still a firm crowd favourite in Leeds, and back home in South Africa.

8. Zapiro

When it comes to controversial political satire, no one can compete with Zapiro, which is the nom de plume of South African cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro. His works have appeared in South African and international publications. Zapiro is well known for his controversial cartoons, mostly about political figures in South Africa.

He became the first cartoonist to win a prize in the CNN African Journalist of the Year Awards, and won the Mondi Newspaper Award for Graphic Journalism in 2003 and 2004. He has also been invited to cartoon events in Cameroon, Botswana, Australia, France, the UK, the Netherlands and Italy, and has held solo exhibitions in New York, London, Frankfurt and South Africa.

9. Mark Shuttleworth

How many South Africans can say they have funded their own trip to outer space? Answer: just one. His name is Mark Shuttleworth and he is a South African entrepreneur and fully fledged Afronaut. He has also founded Canonical Ltd, and provides leadership for the Ubuntu operating system.

The world already took notice of Mark as a businessman who formed companies and invested in numerous projects. These projects give free software and education to charity organisations. But it was his spaceflight in 2002 that gained him worldwide fame and recognition. Funding the flight himself, Shuttleworth spent eight days in space participating in experiments related to AIDS and genome research. He returned on 5 May 2002 as an Afronaut, an instant South African celebrity and role model.

10. Ryk Neethling

Ryk Neethling is a South African swimmer, most recognised for bringing South Africa to victory by earning a gold medal in the 2004 Summer Olympics. He is also the former joint owner of the 4X100 freestyle relay world records and holds several other South African records. He is the first South African to compete in four successive Olympic Games.

Ryk has also become something of a fan favourite, with millions of women swooning over the handsome swimmer’s toned physique and friendly and down to earth nature. With fans across the world, and a successful career that show no signs of slowing down, Ryk can be sure of an equally successful future, making South Africa proud once again.