A number of South African sports stars excelled in their sporting codes this year. Below is a list of a select sports stars we really thought deserve a mention:
RUGBY
Eben Etzebeth
It has been another stellar season for the Springboks talisman in the second row who was again among World Rugby’s Player of the Year nominees. Though his place in the national team’s folklore was long secured, Etzebeth notched up another notable accolade when he became the most capped Bok against Argentina in Mbombela, Mpumalanga. He was a model of consistency, featuring in 12 of the Springboks’ 13 Tests this year.
Pieter-Steph du Toit
The industrious flanker bagged World Rugby’s Player of the Year Award for the second time after another season of unwavering excellence. Du Toit doesn’t just have an exceptional range of influence when the going is good, he delivers it every time he runs out for the Springboks. He was particularly awe-inspiring against Argentina in Mbombela in the Rugby Championship, helping his team secure the title in emphatic fashion.
Cheslin Kolbe
There have been times when Kolbe resembled a human pinball, as he bounces out of tackles. He is sometimes referred to as the “Boks’ Swiss Army knife” for the different ways in which he can be applied in a match. He was seen feeding the scrum and applying himself in the line-out. Principally, though, Kolbe is an outstanding try scorer, with the ability to fashion a finish even when it isn’t immediately apparent.
CRICKET
Tristan Stubbs
It took the strapping 24-year-old less than a year to break out of the T20 box and emerge as a legitimate Test batter — making two centuries as part of the Proteas revival with the willow. Stubbs has quickly established himself as an all-format player and one of the most important cricketers in South Africa.
Laura Wolvaardt
One of the world’s best, she has combined, elegance, grit and consistency to become her team’s best player. Wolvaardt made a century in each format this year to underline her class.
FOOTBALL
Ronwen Williams
The Bafana Bafana goalkeeper and skipper ended the year with two Caf awards, following his remarkable year in which he helped Bafana with a bronze in the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year. Williams was also instrumental in Mamelodi Sundowns’ winning a seventh successive Betway Premiership title, conceding only 11 goals in 30 matches.
Relebohile Mofokeng
The 20-year-old Orlando Pirates attacker was by far the best outfield player in the PSL this year. Mofokeng caught everyone’s eye when he scored the winner in the Nedbank Cup final against Mamelodi Sundowns, putting the ball between the legs of Bongani Zungu before beating goalkeeper Ronwen Williams. That Pirates won two domestic cups in 2024 and finished second in the Premiership was partly down to Mofokeng's form.
SWIMMING
Tatjana Smith
The 27-year-old won the 100m breaststroke gold and 200m silver at the Paris Games to become South Africa’s most decorated Olympian of all time, with two golds and two silvers. Chad Le Clos, with one gold and three silver is the only other with four medals.
ATHLETICS
Akani Simbine
The king finally secured his crown when anchoring the men’s 4x100m relay team to Olympic silver in Paris. His teammates — Bayanda Walaza, Shaun Maswanganyi and Bradley Nkoana — all played their part, but it was Simbine who took the team from fifth to second over the final leg.
CYCLING
Alan Hatherly
Battled hard to get South Africa’s first Olympic cycling medal since Melbourne 1956, finishing behind Englishman Tom Pidcock and Frenchman Victor Koretzky on a podium, where 11 seconds separated the three medalists. A month later, Hatherly beat them both as he won the world championships in Andorra by 22 seconds.
UFC
Dricus du Plessis
Became the first South African to win a UFC title early in the year, and in his first defence against former two-time champion Israel Adesanya, won impressively by submission in the fourth round.
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