Swimming - Team South Africa

General
South Africa earned a spot in Tokyo by swimming one of the four fastest times in the qualification period among teams that did not manage to qualify through the 2019 World Championships. They are making their first appearance at the Olympic Games since 2008, and fifth in total since making their debut in 1992.

The South African team have yet to win an Olympic medal, and came closest to the podium at the 1996 Games in Atlanta, where they finished fourth behind medallists the People's Republic of China, Australia and the United States of America. They ranked fifth at the 2000 Games, but did not qualify for the final at their last appearance in 2008, where they were the 12th-fastest team in the heats.

They have not qualified for the final at the world championships in eight appearances since 1994, never placing higher than 11th in that period. At the 2019 edition in Gwangju, they ranked 17th overall, which was also their position at the 2017 World Championships.

At continental level South Africa are dominant however, winning six consecutive African championship titles since 2006.