Tigers snag another Bok
Pietersen, who will join the club ahead of the 2016/17 Premiership and European seasons, will join up with his former Bok captain Jean de Villiers.
With 109 caps for South Africa and veteran of two World Cups, De Villiers joined Tigers for the 2015/16 season as one of the most experienced players in the game.
Pietersen was also part of the triumphant South Africa squad in the 2007 World Cup and also played in the 2011 tournament in New Zealand and in 2015 in England.
He has scored 22 tries in 66 Test caps since making his international debut in 2006.
Currently playing in Japan with the Wild Knights, the 29-year-old Pietersen was South Africa Players' Player of the Year in 2012 and will arrive in Leicester during the off-season.
"We have been looking to add world-class quality throughout the squad and JP is certainly in that class," Leicester Tigers Director of Rugby Richard Cockerill said.
"He has played at the very highest levels of the game for a long time, but he still has a lot to offer and is keen to experience club rugby in Europe.
"JP is a world-class finisher and offers a threat in the wide channels.
"We have a strong group of players in the backline already here and with JP and Matt Toomua coming in for next season we are adding to that strength."
"I'm really looking forward to joining up with a quality team like Leicester Tigers and competing for silverware in the Premiership and European Champions Cup," said Pietersen, who played with the Sharks in South Africa.
"I have spent the majority of my career in South Africa and the past few years in Japan and I feel that it's a perfect time to experience something new.
"I hope to contribute to the team on and off the field in any way I can.
"I'm looking forward to joining the Tigers after my final Super Rugby season with the Sharks."
* Meanwhile Tonga international Telusa Veainu has agreed a new contract with the Tigers, beyond the end of the current season.
The 25-year-old Veainu made a try-scoring debut for Tigers in the home win over Wasps in November after starring for Tonga during the World Cup and has six tries in 11 appearances for the club.
"It's been a real whirlwind year for me, leaving the Rebels in Australia and playing for Tonga in the Pacific Nations and then the World Cup before joining Leicester," Veainu said.
"The coaches, the players and the supporters have been great to me since I arrived and I'm really enjoying my rugby here. It's great to be a part of this squad and I'm looking forward to the rest of the season.
"Looking back over the last few months, I like to think this is a way of showing that all the hard work has paid off. I see this as just the beginning for me."
Cockerill said Veainu has made a big impression on everyone in his short time as a Leicester player.
"He is an exciting player, the supporters have really taken to him and we will look forward to seeing him continue to develop as part of the Tigers squad," Cockerill said.
Veainu started all four games for Tonga in the 2015 World Cup, scoring in the win over Namibia, after gaining his first caps in the Pacific Nations Cup earlier in the year.
He has had spells with Canterbury, Hawke's Bay, Highlanders, Crusaders and Melbourne Rebels in the southern hemisphere before moving to Leicester.
Veainu follows colleagues Freddie Burns, Matt Smith, Adam Thompstone, Manu Tuilagi, Ben Youngs and captain Ed Slater in extending terms at the club.
