South Africa has one of the largest Chinese communities in Africa, commonly estimated at 200,000–350,000 people, though that estimate dates from 2012–2015 and the number may now be lower. The community goes back more than a century: the ancestors of today’s Chinese South Africans came to Johannesburg during the 1890s gold rush, and new migrants from Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China followed from the 1980s.
Today the community is centred on Johannesburg, with Chinatowns, China malls and wholesale markets, and a large number of chambers and hometown associations. This page covers numbers, where people live, associations, shopping and the embassy and consulates.
Numbers and history
There is no official count of Chinese people in South Africa. This site uses an estimate of about 200,000–350,000 (2012–2015 estimates; possibly fewer now). MOFCOM data show only 332 Chinese contract workers in South Africa at the end of 2024, which reflects that most Chinese people there are self-employed traders or company staff rather than labour migrants.
Johannesburg’s Chinese community is almost as old as the city. By 1893 at least seven Chinese general stores operated in Ferreirasdorp, the area now called “First Chinatown”. Under apartheid, Chinese South Africans were classified as coloured. In June 2008 the Pretoria High Court, on an application by the Chinese Association of South Africa (CASA), ruled that Chinese South Africans fall within “black people” under the B-BBEE and Employment Equity Acts. Under the 2013 amendment, however, migrants naturalised after 27 April 1994 generally do not qualify; see the B-BBEE section of registering a company in South Africa.
From the 1980s, many Taiwanese and mainland Chinese investors opened clothing and textile factories in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal. The Mail & Guardian reported in 2013 that the community estimated its investment there at over R1 billion, but the number of factories had fallen from 115 in 2010 to 48. For figures across Africa, see Chinese population in Africa.
Where Chinese people live and work
| Place | What it is |
|---|---|
| First Chinatown (Commissioner Street, Ferreirasdorp, Johannesburg) | Dates from the 1890s; most businesses left as inner-city crime rose in the 1980s–90s, but Sui Hing Hong remains |
| Cyrildene Chinatown (Derrick Avenue) | The newer Chinatown, established in the 2000s, with archways at both ends, restaurants, supermarkets and tea shops; the main place for Chinese shopping and New Year celebrations |
| Oriental City (Rivonia, north of Sandton) | Retail and dining hub, sometimes called the “third Chinatown” |
| China Mall (Amalgam, southern Johannesburg) | The original China mall, with about 500 stores, mainly wholesale and retail |
| Dragon City and similar malls | Wholesale and retail centres that locals often simply call “the China Mall” |
| Newcastle (KwaZulu-Natal) | Cluster of Chinese- and Taiwanese-owned clothing and textile factories |
| Atlantis, Cape Town | Site of the Hisense South Africa industrial park |
Chinese companies are concentrated around Johannesburg and in provincial industrial parks, in textiles and clothing, appliances, machinery, building materials, mining, finance, telecoms and logistics. For the overall picture, see the South Africa guide for Chinese residents.
Chambers and associations
The MOFCOM guide lists 48 Chinese chambers and associations in South Africa. Those most relevant for business and everyday help include:
- South Africa-China Economic and Trade Association: the main association of Chinese companies, founded April 2011, over 200 members;
- Chinese Police-Community Cooperation Centre: a national association founded in January 2004 that liaises between the Chinese community and the South African police and helps tackle crimes against Chinese residents;
- Johannesburg Chinatown Management Committee;
- Southern Africa Chinese Overseas Chamber of Commerce and Industry, South Africa Chinese Merchants Association, Chinese Chamber of Commerce in South Africa and the Southern Africa Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (English names are our translations);
- Provincial chambers and hometown associations: including those for Zhejiang, Wenzhou, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao, southern Fujian, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Fujian, Shandong, Shaanxi, Hunan, Chongqing, Jiangxi, Guizhou, Liaoning, Heilongjiang and Jilin;
- Trade and other groups: the Yiwu International Small Commodities Chamber of Southern Africa, the Southern Africa Chinese Entrepreneurs Association, the All-Africa Chinese Women Entrepreneurs Federation, the South Africa Chinese Education Foundation and the South Africa Hakka Association.
The MOFCOM list does not show how active each group is now, so check through the consulates or contacts first. Chambers are useful for newcomers: which areas are safe, which forwarders and lawyers are reliable, and mutual help after robberies or disputes. For precautions, see South Africa safety guide.
Chinese supermarkets, food and media
Derrick Avenue in Cyrildene has several Chinese supermarkets, restaurants and tea shops, with CJ Supermarket the largest; Sui Hing Hong in First Chinatown is a long-standing Chinese grocery. Cyrildene hosts Chinese New Year celebrations open to Chinese and non-Chinese residents alike.
We have not yet verified any local Chinese-language newspapers to recommend. The Chinese Embassy publishes consular notices on its website and WeChat official account, and the Cape Town consulate offers WeChat enquiries. Day-to-day news mostly travels through chamber and hometown WeChat groups; be wary of job and currency-exchange offers there, as the embassy warned several times in 2026 about fake recruitment and scams.
Chinese Embassy and consulates
| Mission | Website | Consular protection line |
|---|---|---|
| Embassy in Pretoria (225 Athlone Street, Arcadia) | za.china-embassy.gov.cn | 0027-10-4925583 (24 hours) |
| Consulate-General in Johannesburg | johannesburg.china-consulate.gov.cn | 0027-10-4986234 |
| Consulate-General in Cape Town (25 Rhodes Ave, Newlands) | capetown.china-consulate.gov.cn | 0027-21-6747668 |
| Consulate-General in Durban | durban.china-consulate.gov.cn | 0027-761742938 |
The embassy’s document enquiry line is 0027-12-4316537 (weekdays 8:00–12:00). For passport renewal see passport renewal in Africa; for visas see South Africa visas and work permits. For other countries’ communities, start at Southern Africa.
References
- Country Guide for Outward Investment and Cooperation: South Africa (2025 edition) (MOFCOM / CAITEC / Chinese Embassy Economic and Commercial Office, 2025)
- Chinese Joburg: Exploring the city’s Chinatowns and best restaurants (Johannesburg In Your Pocket)
- Chinatown: Johannesburg’s Chinese Community Is as Old as the City Itself (Culture Trip)
- Chinese South Africans qualify for BEE, court rules (Mail & Guardian, 18 June 2008)
- Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Amendment Act 46 of 2013 (Government Gazette, 27 January 2014)
- Made in Newcastle: Cut from a different cloth (Mail & Guardian, 29 May 2013)
- Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in South Africa (Chinese Embassy in South Africa, accessed 2026)
- Embassy reminder: do not work illegally in South Africa (Chinese) (Chinese Embassy in South Africa, 19 January 2026)
- Consulate-General of the PRC in Cape Town (Chinese Consulate-General in Cape Town, accessed 2026)