Mapimpi made his test debut for the Springboks on 2 June 2018 against Wales in Washington, D.C. at the age of 27. Under Head Coach Rassie Erasmus and with the help of Backs Coach Mzwandile Stick, Mapimpi has blossomed to being a prolific try scorer for the Springboks, almost at a try per game. His mark on the international space became more prominent with his inclusion in the team for the Rugby Championship campaign of 2019. He was part of the winning Springboks that year, lifting the coveted 2019 Rugby Championship trophy.
That year, 2019, Mapimpi was included in the South African squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan. He was a key player in the team that won the 2019 Rugby World Cup under the leadership of Siya Kolisi, where in the tournament he scored 6 tries including two in the 2019 Rugby World Cup quarter final match against Japan in a 26-3 victory. and one in the final against England where the Springboks won the match convincingly with a runaway score of 32-12. Mapimpi became the first player in the history of Springboks to score a try in a Rugby World Cup final. All previous Springboks World Cup wins were without tries.
As of 3 September 2022, Mapimpi has the rare achievement of having scored a try against every team he has played in international rugby.
Makazole was instrumental in the series win. The Springboks had lost the first match and were bruised. Makazole played the whole of the second match and scoring the pivotal winning try to level the series. His play in that second test, was absolutely spectacular, and worthy of Man of the Match according to James Haskell in his interview and summary of the match on the podcast Lions Den. This second test performance truly cemented Makazole's respect from the visitors. And special mention by Robbie Henshaw in his match summary of the Makazole try was testimony to this.
In 2023 Mapimpi again was included in the squad chosen for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France. In the 2023 Rugby World Cup, he appeared in two matches. The first of which was the game against Romania, in which he won Player of the Match, with three fantastic tries to his name. In the second match against Tonga, Mapimpi suffered a head injury that fractured his cheekbone, an injury that ruled him out for the remaining games. He was substituted by his best friend Lukhanyo Am who was called up to join the squad while Mapimpi returned returned home for surgery and recovery.
He and the South Africans Springboks team received their winners medals at the culmination of the Rugby World cup in France, after South Africa beat New Zealand by one point to reclaim the William Webb Ellis Trophy and be the first team to have won the Rugby World Cup for the Fourth Time, and this particular core squad of players are the second team after the 2015 All Blacks to have won back to back wins. Makazole is effectively a two time world champion and one of the greats of the sports, being the most prolific try scorer for the Springboks between 2018 and 2022.