Cyril Ramaphosa

President of South Africa

17 November 1952 Soweto, Transvaal Province, Union of South Africa

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Incumbent

President of South Africa His Excellency Cyril Ramaphosa5th President of South AfricaIncumbentAssumed office 15 February 2018 Acting: 14 February 2018 – 15 February 2018 DeputyDavid MabuzaPreceded by Jacob Zuma18th Chairperson of the African UnionIn office 10 February 2020 – 6 February 2021Preceded by Abdel Fattah el-SisiSucceeded by Felix Tshisekedi14th President of the African National CongressIncumbentAssumed office 18 December 2017DeputyDavid MabuzaPreceded by Jacob Zuma7th Deputy President of South AfricaIn office 26 May 2014 – 15 February 2018PresidentJacob ZumaPreceded by Kgalema MotlantheSucceeded by David Mabuza9th Deputy President of the African National CongressIn office 18 December 2012 – 18 December 2017PresidentJacob ZumaPreceded by Kgalema MotlantheSucceeded by David Mabuza13th Secretary-General of the African National CongressIn office 1 March 1991 – 18 December 1997PresidentNelson MandelaPreceded by Alfred Baphethuxolo NzoSucceeded by Kgalema Motlanthe Personal detailsBornMatamela Cyril Ramaphosa (1952-11-17 ) 17 November 1952 (age 68) Soweto, Transvaal Province, Union of South AfricaPolitical partyAfrican National CongressSpouse(s) Hope Ramaphosa ​ ​(m. 1978; div. 1989)​ Nomazizi Mtshotshisa ​ ​(m. 1991; div. 1993)​ Tshepo Motsepe ​(m. 1996)​Children6ParentsSamuel Ramaphosa Erdmuth RamaphosaAlma materUniversity of Limpopo University of South AfricaWebsiteFoundation website Presidency website Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa (born 17 November 1952) is a South African politician serving as President of South Africa since 2018 and President of the African National Congress (ANC) since 2017. Previously an anti-apartheid activist, trade union leader and businessman, Ramaphosa served as Secretary General to ANC President Nelson Mandela, Deputy President to President Jacob Zuma, and Chairman of the National Planning Commission from 2014 to 2018. He has been called a skillful negotiator and strategist who acted as the ANC's Chief Negotiator during South Africa's transition to democracy. Ramaphosa built up the biggest and most powerful trade union in the country, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM). He played a crucial role, with Roelf Meyer of the National Party, during the negotiations to bring about a peaceful end to apartheid and steer the country towards its first fully democratic elections in April 1994. Ramaphosa was Nelson Mandela's choice for future president. Ramaphosa is well known as a businessman, and his estimated net worth is over R6.4 billion ($450 million) as of 2018, with 31 properties and previously-held notable ownership in companies such as McDonald's South Africa, chair of the board for MTN and member of the board for Lonmin. Ramaphosa served as the Deputy President of South Africa from 2014 to 2018. He was later elected President of the African National Congress (ANC) at the ANC National Conference in December 2017. Ramaphosa is the former Chairman of the National Planning Commission, which is responsible for strategic planning for the future of the country, with the goal of rallying South Africa "around a common set of objectives and priorities to drive development over the longer term". He became President of South Africa without a general election, after Jacob Zuma resigned. Ramaphosa was elected president by the National Assembly to his first full term on May 22 following the ANC's victory in the 2019 South African general election. Ramaphosa served as Chairperson of the African Union from 2020 to 2021. Despite his credentials as an important proponent of his country's peaceful transition to democracy, he has also been criticised for the conduct of his business interests, although he has never been indicted for illegal activity in any of these controversies. Controversial business dealings include his joint venture with Glencore and allegations of benefitting illegally from coal deals with Eskom which he has staunchly denied, during which Glencore was in the public spotlight for its tendentious business activities involving Tony Blair in the Middle East; his son, Andile Ramaphosa, has also been found to have accepted payments totalling R2 million from Bosasa, the security company implicated in corruption and state capture by the Zondo commission; and his employment on the board of directors of Lonmin while taking an active stance when the Marikana Massacre took place on Lonmin's Marikana premises. On 15 August 2012 he called for action against the Marikana miners' strike, which he called "dastardly criminal" conduct that needed "concomitant action" to be taken. He later admitted and regretted his involvement in the act and said that it could have been avoided if contingency plans had been made prior to the labour strike.