Biographical Overview & Key Facts

Subject:

Cyril Ramaphosa

Role / Field:

South African politician and businessman, serving as the fifth President of South Africa.

Born:

1952-11-17

Century / Era:

1952s Historical Era

Database Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0

Origins & Early Life

Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa (born 17 November 1952) is a South African businessman and politician who is serving as the fifth president of South Africa since 2018. A former anti-apartheid activist and trade union leader, Ramaphosa is also the president of the African National Congress (ANC). Ramaphosa rose to national prominence as secretary general of South Africa's biggest and most powerful trade union, the National Union of Mineworkers. In 1991, he was elected ANC secretary general under ANC president Nelson Mandela and became the ANC's chief negotiator during the negotiations that ended apartheid.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He was elected chairperson of the Constitutional Assembly after the country's first fully democratic elections in 1994 and some observers believed that he was Mandela's preferred successor. However, Ramaphosa resigned from politics in 1996 and became well known as a businessman, including as an owner of McDonald's South Africa, chair of the board for MTN, member of the board for Lonmin, and founder of the Shanduka Group. Ramaphosa returned to politics in December 2012 at the ANC's 53rd National Conference and served as the deputy president of South Africa under President Jacob Zuma from...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Adi Shamir — Contemporary (Born in 1952) (1952): Pioneering Israeli cryptographer, co-inventor of the RSA algorithm.
• Albert Bassermann — Contemporary (Died in 1952) (1952): Esteemed German stage and screen actor, celebrated for his dramatic versatility.
• Alexandra Kollontai — Contemporary (Died in 1952) (1952): Pioneering Marxist feminist, diplomat, and Bolshevik leader in early Soviet history.
• Abba Eban — Shared historical date (11-17 · Died) (2002): Israeli diplomat, politician, and scholar of Arabic and Hebrew languages.
• Audre Lorde — Shared historical date (11-17 · Died) (1992): Pioneering voice in intersectional feminism, poetry, and civil rights activism.
• Amy Tan — Historical peer (Born in 1952) (1952): Acclaimed American novelist celebrated for exploring Chinese-American family dynamics.
• Andrew Motion — Historical peer (Born in 1952) (1952): Acclaimed English poet, novelist, and former Poet Laureate.
• Aaron Klug — Historical peer (Died in 2018) (2018): Pioneering biophysicist known for crystallographic electron microscopy and nucleic acid structure.
• Alan Bean — Historical peer (Died in 2018) (2018): American astronaut, naval officer, and lunar explorer who walked on the Moon.
• Abby Stein — Historical peer (Born in 1991) (1991): Israeli-American author, rabbi, and activist who speaks on faith and gender identity.
• 1952 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1952
• November 17 (11-17) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on November 17

Frequently Asked Questions about Cyril Ramaphosa