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Expanded Edition

20 Notable People Named Swanepoel

A research compilation of publicly documented individuals surnamed Swanepoel, drawn from South Africa, the United States, Namibia, England, Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere. This expanded edition goes deeper into local business figures, sport at a national and international level, academia, literature, and the arts.

Show

01

Fashion, Modeling & Visual Arts

candice swanepoel

Candice Swanepoel

Born
1988 — South Africa
Last known
USA

One of the world’s best-known supermodels, Swanepoel became a Victoria’s Secret Angel in 2010 and has ranked among Forbes’ top-earning models every year since. She has appeared on the cover of Vogue in more than a dozen countries and founded the sustainable swimwear label Tropic of C.

landi swanepoel

Landi Swanepoel

Born
1979 — South Africa
Last known
USA

A South African-born model best known for international campaigns with Guess and for playing “Sylvia” — a nod to Anita Ekberg’s character in La Dolce Vita — in Peroni’s Nastro Azzurro beer commercial. She was discovered as a model at age fourteen.

cindy swanepoel

Cindy Swanepoel

Born
1981 — South Africa
Last known
South Africa
A South African actress best known for roles in the long-running television serials Generations, Binnelanders and Egoli: Place of Gold. She holds a BA Honours in Drama from the University of Stellenbosch and co-founded Pôkô Events and Productions, developing children’s theatre and television projects.
karma ann swanepoel

Karma-Ann Swanepoel

Born
1975 — South Africa
Last known
United States
A South African singer-songwriter best known as lead vocalist of the 1990s band Henry Ate. Her albums Slap in the Face and One Day Soon produced multiple Top 10 hits and won a South African Music Award for Best Pop Album. She later continued as a solo artist in the United States.
02

Business, Finance & Mining

bernard swanepoel

Bernard Swanepoel

Born
1961 — South Africa
Last known
South Africa
A mining engineer and executive who served as CEO of Harmony Gold Mining Company from 2003 to 2007 and later co-founded Sibanye Gold (now Sibanye-Stillwater) in 2012, leading it as CEO until 2016. He remains an outspoken commentator on South Africa’s mining sector and chairs the private equity fund Bokamoso Gold.
stefan swanepoel business

Stefan Swanepoel

Born
1958 — Kenya
Last known
USA
An American business executive, real estate strategist and best-selling author who immigrated to the United States in 1994. He founded T3 Sixty — the leading management consultancy in residential real estate brokerage — and Real Estate News, serving as Executive Chairman of both. He has authored more than 60 books and industry reports, including the Swanepoel Trends Report and Swanepoel Power 200.
marcus swanepoel

Marcus Swanepoel

Born
1983
Last known
USA
A South African entrepreneur and co-founder of Luno, a global cryptocurrency platform, drawing on earlier experience at Morgan Stanley in London and Standard Chartered in Singapore. By 2021, Luno served nine million users in more than forty countries, processing billions of dollars in transactions. Digital Currency Group acquired Luno in 2023, and Swanepoel stepped down as CEO.
gabriel swanepoel

Gabriel Swanepoel

Born
Unknown
Last known
South Africa
Division President for Africa at Mastercard, overseeing the company’s business across the continent. He previously served as Mastercard’s Country Manager for Southern Africa and Vice President of Business Integration, and co-founded XLink Communications, now a leading provider of card-terminal and ATM communications services in South Africa.
werner swanepoel business web

Werner Swanepoel

Born
1973
Last known
South Africa
A South African mining executive who previously served as Chief Operating Officer and Project Director at Premier African Minerals Ltd, and as Chief Operating Officer of Kore Potash Ltd. He holds degrees from both the University of Pretoria and Stellenbosch University, building a career spanning several African mining operations.
christo swanepoel

Christo Swanepoel

Born
Unknown
Last known
South Africa
A mining executive serving as General Manager at Koidu Holdings, part of the Octea Diamond Group and one of West Africa’s most significant diamond mining operations. He is identified in industry and family-history records as a notable figure in the African mining sector, with a career spanning operations in Sierra Leone and South Africa.
03

Academia & Politics

konrad swanepoel

Konrad Swanepoel

Born
1971
Last known
United Kingdom
A South African-born mathematician and professor in the Department of Mathematics at the London School of Economics and Political Science. His research covers discrete, combinatorial and convex geometry; he has published more than 100 papers and previously held positions at the University of Pretoria, the University of South Africa, and Chemnitz University of Technology in Germany.
daryl swanepoel

Daryl Swanepoel

Born
1962
Last known
South Africa
A South African political strategist who represented the National Party and later the African National Congress in the National Assembly. He now serves as chief executive officer of the Inclusive Society Institute, a Cape Town-based think tank, and previously served as the New National Party’s last secretary-general.
de wet swanepoel

De Wet Swanepoel

Born
Unknown
Last known
South Africa and Australia
Professor of Communication Pathology and Audiology at the University of Pretoria and Senior Researcher at the Ear Science Institute Australia. He has received the African Academy of Sciences’ Olusegun Obasanjo Prize, the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust Award, and the Silver S2A3 British Association Medal for his research into hearing health.
frans swanepoel

Frans Swanepoel

Born
circa late 1950s
Last known
South Africa
A research fellow focused on Future Africa at the University of Pretoria’s Centre for Advancement of Scholarship, and former Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation at the University of the Western Cape. He holds a Visiting Fellowship at Cornell University’s Institute for African Development and chairs an ASSAf panel on agricultural education in South Africa. His career spans beef-production genetics to agricultural research leadership, with more than 170 scientific publications.
04

Sports - Rugby, Cricket, Swimming & Golf

werner swanepoel rugby

Werner Swanepoel

Born
1973 — South Africa
Last known
South Africa
A former Springbok scrum-half who played for South Africa’s national rugby union team from 1997 to 2000. Nicknamed “Smiley,” his international opportunities were limited by the era’s dominant incumbent, Joost van der Westhuizen, but he had a long provincial and Super Rugby career with the Cats, Free State and Golden Lions.
corney swanepoel

Corney Swanepoel

Born
1986 — South Africa
Last known
New Zealand
A South African-born swimmer who represented New Zealand at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games. He won a bronze medal in the 4x100m medley relay at the 2008 World Championships (25m), still holds multiple New Zealand and Oceania records, and was named ASB Young Sports Person of the Year in 2004. He has worked in business since retiring from competition in 2012.
kat swanepoel

Kat Swanepoel

Born
1987 — South Africa
Last known
South Africa
A Paralympic swimmer competing across the S4/S5, SB3 and SM4 classifications, primarily in backstroke and individual medley events. She represented South Africa at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, winning silver in the 150m Individual Medley SM4 at the 2022 World Para Swimming Championships in Madeira. South African media have described her as a double world champion.
stephan swanepoel

Stephan Swanepoel

Born
1981 — Namibia
Last known
Namibia
A former Namibian international cricketer who represented Namibia as a wicketkeeper-batsman between 1998 and 2009, including at One Day International level, and captained Namibia’s under-19 side at the 2002 Under-19 Cricket World Cup, where he set Namibian records for youth-international appearances and runs scored.
tiaan swanepoel

Tiaan Swanepoel

Born
1996 — Namibia
Last known
South Africa
A Namibian international fly-half and fullback who made his Super Rugby debut for the Lions in 2020 and represented Namibia at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. His playing career has spanned South Africa, Australia and Japan’s League One, reflecting the well-travelled path typical of professional Pacific-rim rugby.
janko swanepoel

Janko Swanepoel

Born
1999 — South Africa
Last known
Japan
A professional rugby lock/flanker who came through the Blue Bulls and Bulls system, winning the Currie Cup in 2021 and reaching the Pro14 Rainbow Cup and United Rugby Championship finals the same year, before moving to Japan’s League One to play for Honda Heat.
01

Fashion, Modeling & Visual Arts

candice swanepoel

Candice Swanepoel

Born
1988 — South Africa
Last known
USA

One of the world’s best-known supermodels, Swanepoel became a Victoria’s Secret Angel in 2010 and has ranked among Forbes’ top-earning models every year since. She has appeared on the cover of Vogue in more than a dozen countries and founded the sustainable swimwear label Tropic of C.

landi swanepoel

Landi Swanepoel

Born
1979 — South Africa
Last known
USA

A South African-born model best known for international campaigns with Guess and for playing “Sylvia” — a nod to Anita Ekberg’s character in La Dolce Vita — in Peroni’s Nastro Azzurro beer commercial. She was discovered as a model at age fourteen.

cindy swanepoel

Cindy Swanepoel

Born
1981 — South Africa
Last known
South Africa
A South African actress best known for roles in the long-running television serials Generations, Binnelanders and Egoli: Place of Gold. She holds a BA Honours in Drama from the University of Stellenbosch and co-founded Pôkô Events and Productions, developing children’s theatre and television projects.
karma ann swanepoel

Karma-Ann Swanepoel

Born
1975 — South Africa
Last known
United States
A South African singer-songwriter best known as lead vocalist of the 1990s band Henry Ate. Her albums Slap in the Face and One Day Soon produced multiple Top 10 hits and won a South African Music Award for Best Pop Album. She later continued as a solo artist in the United States.
02

Business, Finance & Mining

bernard swanepoel

Bernard Swanepoel

Born
1961 — South Africa
Last known
South Africa
A mining engineer and executive who served as CEO of Harmony Gold Mining Company from 2003 to 2007 and later co-founded Sibanye Gold (now Sibanye-Stillwater) in 2012, leading it as CEO until 2016. He remains an outspoken commentator on South Africa’s mining sector and chairs the private equity fund Bokamoso Gold.
stefan swanepoel business

Stefan Swanepoel

Born
1958 — Kenya
Last known
USA
An American business executive, real estate strategist and best-selling author who immigrated to the United States in 1994. He founded T3 Sixty — the leading management consultancy in residential real estate brokerage — and Real Estate News, serving as Executive Chairman of both. He has authored more than 60 books and industry reports, including the Swanepoel Trends Report and Swanepoel Power 200.
marcus swanepoel

Marcus Swanepoel

Born
1983
Last known
USA
A South African entrepreneur and co-founder of Luno, a global cryptocurrency platform, drawing on earlier experience at Morgan Stanley in London and Standard Chartered in Singapore. By 2021, Luno served nine million users in more than forty countries, processing billions of dollars in transactions. Digital Currency Group acquired Luno in 2023, and Swanepoel stepped down as CEO.
gabriel swanepoel

Gabriel Swanepoel

Born
Unknown
Last known
South Africa
Division President for Africa at Mastercard, overseeing the company’s business across the continent. He previously served as Mastercard’s Country Manager for Southern Africa and Vice President of Business Integration, and co-founded XLink Communications, now a leading provider of card-terminal and ATM communications services in South Africa.
werner swanepoel business web

Werner Swanepoel

Born
1973
Last known
South Africa
A South African mining executive who previously served as Chief Operating Officer and Project Director at Premier African Minerals Ltd, and as Chief Operating Officer of Kore Potash Ltd. He holds degrees from both the University of Pretoria and Stellenbosch University, building a career spanning several African mining operations.
christo swanepoel

Christo Swanepoel

Born
Unknown
Last known
South Africa
A mining executive serving as General Manager at Koidu Holdings, part of the Octea Diamond Group and one of West Africa’s most significant diamond mining operations. He is identified in industry and family-history records as a notable figure in the African mining sector, with a career spanning operations in Sierra Leone and South Africa.
03

Academia & Politics

konrad swanepoel

Konrad Swanepoel

Born
1971
Last known
United Kingdom
A South African-born mathematician and professor in the Department of Mathematics at the London School of Economics and Political Science. His research covers discrete, combinatorial and convex geometry; he has published more than 100 papers and previously held positions at the University of Pretoria, the University of South Africa, and Chemnitz University of Technology in Germany.
daryl swanepoel

Daryl Swanepoel

Born
1962
Last known
South Africa
A South African political strategist who represented the National Party and later the African National Congress in the National Assembly. He now serves as chief executive officer of the Inclusive Society Institute, a Cape Town-based think tank, and previously served as the New National Party’s last secretary-general.
de wet swanepoel

De Wet Swanepoel

Born
Unknown
Last known
South Africa and Australia
Professor of Communication Pathology and Audiology at the University of Pretoria and Senior Researcher at the Ear Science Institute Australia. He has received the African Academy of Sciences’ Olusegun Obasanjo Prize, the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust Award, and the Silver S2A3 British Association Medal for his research into hearing health.
frans swanepoel

Frans Swanepoel

Born
circa late 1950s
Last known
South Africa
A research fellow focused on Future Africa at the University of Pretoria’s Centre for Advancement of Scholarship, and former Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation at the University of the Western Cape. He holds a Visiting Fellowship at Cornell University’s Institute for African Development and chairs an ASSAf panel on agricultural education in South Africa. His career spans beef-production genetics to agricultural research leadership, with more than 170 scientific publications.
04

Sports - Rugby, Cricket, Swimming & Golf

werner swanepoel rugby

Werner Swanepoel

Born
1973 — South Africa
Last known
South Africa
A former Springbok scrum-half who played for South Africa’s national rugby union team from 1997 to 2000. Nicknamed “Smiley,” his international opportunities were limited by the era’s dominant incumbent, Joost van der Westhuizen, but he had a long provincial and Super Rugby career with the Cats, Free State and Golden Lions.
corney swanepoel

Corney Swanepoel

Born
1986 — South Africa
Last known
New Zealand
A South African-born swimmer who represented New Zealand at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games. He won a bronze medal in the 4x100m medley relay at the 2008 World Championships (25m), still holds multiple New Zealand and Oceania records, and was named ASB Young Sports Person of the Year in 2004. He has worked in business since retiring from competition in 2012.
kat swanepoel

Kat Swanepoel

Born
1987 — South Africa
Last known
South Africa
A Paralympic swimmer competing across the S4/S5, SB3 and SM4 classifications, primarily in backstroke and individual medley events. She represented South Africa at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, winning silver in the 150m Individual Medley SM4 at the 2022 World Para Swimming Championships in Madeira. South African media have described her as a double world champion.
stephan swanepoel

Stephan Swanepoel

Born
1981 — Namibia
Last known
Namibia
A former Namibian international cricketer who represented Namibia as a wicketkeeper-batsman between 1998 and 2009, including at One Day International level, and captained Namibia’s under-19 side at the 2002 Under-19 Cricket World Cup, where he set Namibian records for youth-international appearances and runs scored.
tiaan swanepoel

Tiaan Swanepoel

Born
1996 — Namibia
Last known
South Africa
A Namibian international fly-half and fullback who made his Super Rugby debut for the Lions in 2020 and represented Namibia at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. His playing career has spanned South Africa, Australia and Japan’s League One, reflecting the well-travelled path typical of professional Pacific-rim rugby.
janko swanepoel

Janko Swanepoel

Born
1999 — South Africa
Last known
Japan
A professional rugby lock/flanker who came through the Blue Bulls and Bulls system, winning the Currie Cup in 2021 and reaching the Pro14 Rainbow Cup and United Rugby Championship finals the same year, before moving to Japan’s League One to play for Honda Heat.

Methodology & Limitations

This list was compiled through web research across Wikipedia, sports federation databases, news archives, genealogical records, and the Swanepoel family’s published history, and reflects individuals with independently verifiable public notability. Dates of birth and locations are based on the most recent publicly available sources at the time of research (last updated September 2026) and were not independently verified beyond what those sources stated. The “Last known location” reflects the most recent publicly reported location if they are abroad playing sports or modelling and/or where they consider home.
1565 to the present

Swanepoel Genealogy

A Documented Origin History, 1500s to the Present
Read the history
Fourteen Generations

SJM Family History

Fourteen Generations, Four Countries, One Family Heritage – 1565 to Today

Begin reading

Stefan Swanepoel

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