Cyril Ramaphosa is a prominent South African politician and the current president of South Africa since 2018. He was a former trade union leader and remains the President of the African National Congress (ANC).
Cyril Ramaphosa’s Age
Cyril Ramaphosa was born on the 17th of November, 1952, in Soweto, South Africa. He is currently 72 and usually celebrates his birthday every 17th of November.
Early Life and Education
Cyril Ramaphosa was born in Soweto, Johannesburg, into the family of Samuel and Erdmuth Ramaphosa. He attended Tshilidzi Primary School and, thereafter, Sekano Ntoane High School in Soweto.
Cyril Ramaphosa matriculated from Mphaphuli High School in Sibasa, Venda, in 1971. Thereafter, he registered to study law at the University of the North in Limpopo province.
Cyril was heavily involved in politics while in the university and was a member of the South African Students Organization (SASO) and the Black People’s Convention (BPC).
He was detained in 1974 for organizing rallies, which was against the law. After being released from his second arrest in 1976, Cyril Ramaphosa became a law clerk for a Johannesburg firm.
He was studying at the University of South Africa (UNISA) and obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Procuration.
Career
Before diving into politics, Cyril Ramaphosa worked with the Council of Unions of South Africa (CUSA). He was responsible for forming the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and, thereafter, the Congress of the South African Trade Union (COSATU).
Growth in the ANC
Following the suspension of the ANC ban, Cyril Ramaphosa became close to the organization. In 1990, he served as the chairman of the National Reception Committee responsible for managing Nelson Mandela’s release from prison.
In 1991, Cyril Ramaphosa was elected Secretary-General of the ANC at its 48th National Conference in South Africa. During this period, he was a visiting professor at Stanford University.
After the first democratic elections in the country, Cyril Ramaphosa became a Member of Parliament and elected chairperson of its constitutional assembly.
In 1996, he resigned from the ANC and all that concerned politics after being disappointed after Thabo Mbeki succeeded Nelson Mandela.
Business
After resigning from politics, Cyril Ramaphosa ventured into business and took advantage of the Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) policy. He was the executive chairman of Shanduka Group and a major shareholder in the company.
Cyril Ramaphosa was heavily into various investments and worked as a chairman of MTV, Bidvest, and Mondi.
He held other positions with companies, including Angolo American, Alexander Forbes, Lonmin, and Standard Bank.
Cyril Ramaphosa was in charge of running over 100 McDonald’s restaurants in South Africa. He was a known member of the Coca-Cola Company International Advisory Board and the Unilever Africa Advisory Council.
Aside from retailing, Cyril Ramaphosa was into cattle farming and had over 100 Ankole breeds of cows on his farm in Mpumalanga.
Becoming ANC Deputy President
In 2012, Cyril Ramaphosa returned to politics ahead of the 53rd ANC National Conference. During the convention, he received the most nominations to become the organization’s Deputy President.
Following support and backing from ANC MP Derek Hanekom and Incumbent President Jacob Zuma, Cyril Ramaphosa considered the position.
On the 18th of December 2012, he was elected ANC Deputy President after receiving 3,018 votes.
Deputy President of South Africa
Following his re-election in the 2014 elections, President Zuma appointed Cyril Ramaphosa as the Deputy President of South Africa on the 25th of May, 2014.
Following his election as ANC Deputy President, Cyril began the process of resigning from all his previous business engagements and eventually concluded the process in 2014.
He exited Shanduka, Lonmin, the cattle farm, and various other investments to avoid conflict of interest. Cyril Ramaphosa was made the Leader of Government Business in the National Assembly and, thereafter, the Chairman of the National Planning Commission.
He was involved in developing a proposal for a national minimum wage, working closely with Jacob Zuma.
In 2018, Cyril Ramaphosa led the South African delegation to the World Economic Forum in Davos. Their primary goal was to promote investment and business in South Africa.
ANC Presidency
In 2017, Cyril Ramaphosa stood for the position of the ANC President following Zuma’s end of term. Diverse politicians, including Education Minister Angie Motshekga, COSATU President Sdumo Dlamini, and former KwaZulu-Natal Premier Senzo Mchunu, supported him.
Despite facing stiff competition from the ex-wife of Jacob Zuma, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Cyril Ramaphosa won the election. He defeated her with 2,440 votes.
Since then, Cyril Ramaphosa has been re-elected twice and remains the ANC President.
President of South Africa
After Jacob Zuma’s departure in 2018, Cyril Ramaphosa was elected by the National Assembly to serve as President of South Africa. Following his assumption of office, the market sprang back strongly while the country’s currency, the Rand, reached a firm position.
On the 17th of February 2018, Cyril Ramaphosa attended the Armed Forces Interfaith Service at the Mittah Seperepere Convention Centre and gave his first speech.
In 2019, he was voted President of South Africa under the African National Congress party with 57.55%. It was his first election to serve as a full-term president.
In 2014, Cyril Ramaphosa was elected for a second term with support from Democratic Alliance and other opposition parties.
Family
Cyril Ramaphosa was previously married to Hope Ramaphosa (1978-1989) and had a son. He then got married to the late Businesswoman Nomazizi Mtshotshisa.
Currently, Cyril Ramaphosa is married to Tshepo Motsepe and has five children.
Net Worth
Cyril Ramaphosa has an estimated net worth of R6.4 million.