Cyril Ramaphosa

Cyril Ramaphosa has been married two times. His first wife was businesswoman Nomazizi Mtshotshisa. The couple divorced in 2008. He later married Dr Tshepo Motsepe, the sister of mining billionaire Patrice Motsepe. They have four children together. In 2017, there were allegations of extra-marital affairs leveled against him, but he vehemently denied them, claiming them to be politically motivated.

He established the Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation in 2004. The organization’s mission is to foster the development of an inclusive society that is empowered.

Born on November 17, 1952, in Soweto, Johannesburg, Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa is the son of Erdmuth and Samuel Ramaphosa. His father was a retired policeman while his mother was a homemaker. Ramaphosa has a brother named Douglas. He grew up in the impoverished township of Soweto.

He studied at the Tshilidzi Primary School and Sekano Ntoane High School and matriculated from Mphaphuli High School in Sibasa, Venda in 1971. He then enrolled at the University of the North (Turfloop) in 1972 to study law.

While still a university student, Ramaphosa joined active politics and became a member of the South African Students Organization (SASO) and the Black People's Convention (BPC). As a result, he was put in solitary confinement for 11 months in 1974 under Section 6 of the Terrorism Act due to his involvement in organizing pro-Frelimo rallies. The authorities captured him a second time in 1976 under the Terrorism Act after an unrest in his native town. He was detained for the next six months.

Following his release, he began to work as a law clerk for a Johannesburg firm of attorneys and simultaneously carried on his legal studies through correspondence from the University of South Africa (UNISA), receiving his B. Proc. Degree in 1981.

After graduating from law school, Cyril Ramaphosa immediately became a member of the Council of Unions of South Africa (CUSA) as an advisor in the legal department. In 1982, prompted by his seniors, he set up the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM). *Serving as the new organization’s first secretary, he organized conferences that ultimately led to the establishment of the Congress of South African Trade Union (COSATU). He was the keynote speaker at COSATU’s launch rally in Durban in December 1985.

He was eventually chosen as the general secretary of the union and served in that position till June 1991. Under his leadership, the union saw exponential growth, expanding from 6,000 members in 1982 to 300,000 in 1992.

By 1990, he had emerged as one of the leading figures of the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. He joined the released ANC political prisoners in their journey to Lusaka, Zambia. He was appointed the chairman of the National Reception Committee, which was formed to organize the release of Nelson Mandela and the welcome rallies that followed after. He was also a member of the international Mandela Reception Committee.

In July 1991, he emerged as the new General-Secretary of ANC, after winning an election in a conference in Durban. Ramaphosa led a selected group of ANC members to negotiate the end of apartheid with the National Party government.

In 1994, the first fully democratic election in South Africa’s history was conducted and Ramaphosa was elected as a member of the parliament. Nelson Mandela was made the President of South Africa the same year.

Cyril Ramaphosa is one of the most successful businesspersons in South Africa, with Forbes estimating his wealth at $675 million. He has made investments in the resources sector, energy sector, real estate, banking, insurance, and telecom (SEACOM).

In 2001, he founded Shanduka Group, an investment holding company. He also served as the chairman of The Bidvest Group Limited and MTN and as non-executive director of Macsteel Holdings, Alexander Forbes, and Standard Bank, to name a few. In 2011, he signed a 20-year master franchise agreement to run 145 McDonald's restaurants in South Africa.

Following the announcement of his participation in the 2012 general election, Ramaphosa stepped down from all the positions he previously held in the private sector.