What do an internet tycoon, a passionate triathlete and a hip-hop-loving artist have in common? Well, not much, except that all of them are young South Africans making their mark on the world.

Sure, Mark Shuttleworth, Ryk Neethling and William Kentridge are household names, but what about South Africa's new movers and shakers?

Who are pioneers currently carving out a niche for South Africans on the international stage? We spoke to five South Africans worth noticing about their incredible achievements...

Vinny Lingham
Age: 29

The 2006 winner of the Top ICT Young Entrepreneur in Africa Award describes himself as a "serial entrepreneur that loves growing businesses". His name is Vinny Lingham and his business thumb is as green as they come.

In 2003, together with his wife Charlene Troskie, Eric Edelstein and Llewellyn Claasen, he founded IncuBeta, a company which specialises in making its client's websites more visible on the internet by understanding and manipulating internet search engines.

Currently one of the world leaders in online and search engine marketing, they have offices in Cape Town, the UK and the US. Clicks2Customers, one of IncuBeta's subsidiaries, now generates over $100-million in client revenue annually.

Not one to rest too long on his laurels, Lingham has relocated to San Francisco to take on the role of CEO of the Web2.0 Startup Synthasite (www.synthasite.com) a unique website which allows users to build their own websites for free!

Currently the goal of the company is to build the easiest-to-use and free website-building platform in the world. Lingham hopes to empower people to get online and create great websites, and he believes that if they attract a large enough audience advertisers will eventually support the platform.

Thoughts on success: "Success is the achievement of personal and/or business goals. You need to set goals or otherwise you can become rudderless. I continually set higher and higher goals for myself. I realise that many people see me as successful and in some ways I am — but I certainly haven't reached the level of success that I have set for myself. I'm still striving to reach my full potential. Some people have a lower bar for success, and that's fine — success is achieving happiness and comfort in your own life."

Words of wisdom: "Reinvent the businesses that have been around for years. Use the internet to beat them at their own game. There are many businesses in South Africa that are inefficient and run by a generation that time forgot — use your unique outlook on the world to create a more efficient business, with less overhead and more value for customers. Use the internet to your advantage, as the guys who built their businesses without it 20 or 30 years ago, don't understand it. That's your advantage!"

Mustafa Maluka
Age: 31

Hailing from Bishop Lavis on the Cape Flats, Mustafa Maluka has come a long way, conquering the world of art — with solo exhibitions in New York, Berlin, Geneva and the Netherlands.

A graduate of the Peninsula Technikon, Maluka moved to the Netherlands in late 1998 to study at De Ateliers. Since then he has been involved in over 20 group exhibitions around the world and eight solo exhibitions. His work, which combines elements of graffiti, pop art and graphic design, earned him the prestigious Tollman Award in 2004 and a residency at Art OMI in New York (2005).

Maluka, who has returned to live and exhibit in South Africa, also runs a website called www.africanhiphop.com and helps young hip-hop talent from the Cape Flats to get their work out there through his Avenger label.

Thoughts on success: " I'm with Arthur Ashe who said that 'success is a journey, not a destination'."

Words of wisdom: "We all come from different backgrounds with different challenges. What's key is to stop blaming others for all your problems. The world owes you nothing. Get out there and start doing."

Rapelang Rabana
Age: 24

Rapeland Rabana, together with fellow University of Cape Town business science graduates Lungisa Matshoba and Wilter du Toit, founded Yeigo. Their company is one of the first in the world to have developed mobile VoIP (voice over internet protocol). Yeigo sends conversations or messages in little data packages across the internet, essentially making cellphone calls and messages much cheaper.

The chief operating officer of the company, Rabana admits that choosing not to join a large corporate or organisation and instead doing her own thing was one of the most challenging decisions of her life.

Thoughts on success: "The thing I consider to be success, is to have and exercise uninhibited choices. As much as I have taken more control over my life, a lot of decisions I continue to make are influenced by financial pressures, social pressures or many other kinds of pressures. I work towards a point where my choices are independent."

Words of wisdom: "What I wish I knew then back when I was still younger, is that life is this moment. The breadth you just took reading that sentence, that is life, and now it's already gone. I wish I knew that I didn't have to wait, that even from the youngest of ages, life is exactly what you want from it."

Dan Hugo
Age: 22

In October 2006, a month and half short of completing his Investment Management Degree at Stellenbosch University, Dan Hugo decided to take a chance on becoming a professional athlete. Now, well into the two years he gave himself to reach a viability decision, he is proving that throwing caution to the wind can be a good thing. When combined with hours and hours of arduous training, that is.

A multisport triathlete, Hugo stole the Xterra SA Champs title from World Champion Conrad Stoltz earlier this year, before going on to clock his best time and place second at the Xterra West Champs, Temecula, USA. A dedicated and passionate athlete, Hugo hopes to one day become the World Xterra Champion and the World Multisport Champion. If his current form is anything to go by, that day won't be too far off.

Thoughts on success: "Success is ultimately personal and individual to each person's journey. Having had the privilege to be raised in South Africa, a perfect example of how relative 'success' could be, I have sense of gratitude that my journey's pursuit is the colourful experience it is and more than survival, as is the definition for many of my country's people..."

Words of wisdom: "I see so much opportunity around back home — so much diverse talent, and so much to be optimistic about. I don't know what I'll feel down life's path, but as for now, taking a chance and going down the road less travelled, has opened opportunities I'd never imagined. So take a chance."

Robert Thomson
Age: 31

With a background in décor and marketing, Robert Thomson started an architectural and interior design company called M-Design three years ago. The flourishing company of young and energetic designers tackles residential and corporate projects with a strong focus on trend-setting designs.

A branch of M-Design, M-Source caters to the needs of fellow designers by sourcing cutting-edge products such as mosaic tiles, contemporary furniture and lighting. Thomson hopes to extend the business to incorporate property development and architecture in the future.

Thoughts on success: "I think my energy and enthusiasm for whatever I do plays a vital role in our success."

Words of wisdom: "Stay committed, stay focused, keep inspired and always treat your client's interests like you would your own."