Cyril Ramaphosa

Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa (born 17 November 1952) is a South African lawyer, trade union leader, activist, politician and businessman. He was born in Soweto, near Johannesburg, in what is now Gauteng province. While Ramaphosa was previously a major figure in South African national politics, he has in recent years become a prominent figure in the business community.

Widely respected as a skilful and formidable negotiator and strategist, Ramaphosa is best known for building up the biggest and most powerful trade union in South Africa - the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) - as well as for the crucial role he played, 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 democratic elections in April 1994.

He is married to Dr. Tshepo Motsepe and they have four children.

Early life and education

Although he spent most of his childhood in Soweto, he matriculated at Mphaphuli High School in Sibasa, Venda, in 1971. He subsequently registered to study law at the University of the North (Turfloop) in 1972.

While at university, Ramaphosa became involved in student politics and joined the South African Students Organisation (SASO), and the Black Peoples' Convention (BPC). This resulted in him being detained in solitary confinement for eleven months in 1974 under Section 6 of the Terrorism act, for organising pro-Frelimo rallies. In 1976 he was detained for a second time, and held for six months. After his release, he became a law clerk for a Johannesburg firm of attorneys and continued his studies through the University of South Africa (UNISA), where he obtained his B. Proc. Degree in 1981.

Political activist and trade union leader

After obtaining his degree, Ramaphosa joined the Council of Unions of South Africa (CUSA) as a legal advisor. In 1982, CUSA requested that Ramaphosa start a union for mineworkers; this new union was launched in the same year and was named the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM).

Ramaphosa was elected as the first General Secretary of the union, a position he held until he resigned in June 1991, following his election as Secretary General of the African National Congress (ANC). Under his leadership, union membership grew from 6,000 in 1982 to 300,000 in 1992, giving it control of nearly half of the total black workforce in the South African mining industry. As General Secretary, he also led the mineworkers in one of the biggest strikes ever in South African history.

In 1985, the NUM broke away from CUSA and helped to establish the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU). When COSATU joined forces with United Democratic Front (UDF) political movement against the National Party government of P. W. Botha, Ramaphosa took a leading role in what became known as the Mass Democratic Movement (MDM).

When Nelson Mandela was released from prison, Ramaphosa was on the National Reception Committee.

Politician

Subsequent to his election as Secretary General of the African National Congress in 1991, he became head of the negotiation team of the ANC in negotiating the end of apartheid with the National Party government.

Following the first fully democratic elections in 1994, Ramaphosa became a member of parliament; he was elected the chairperson of its Constitutional Assembly on 24 May 1994 and played a central role in the government of national unity.

After he lost the race to become President of South Africa to Thabo Mbeki, he resigned from his political positions in January 1997 and moved to the private sector. However, he remains a National Executive Member of the African National Congress.

While not a member of the South African Communist Party (SACP), Ramaphosa is a known to be a committed socialist.

Businessman

Among other positions, he is currently (2004) executive chairman of Millennium Consolidated Investments (MCI), chairperson of Johnnic Holdings and MCI Resources as well as non-executive chairperson of the Bidvest Group and the MTN Group. His directorships include South African Breweries , FirstRand, Macsteel Holdings, Alexander Forbes and Medscheme.

Honorary doctorates and awards

Among others, Ramaphosa has received honorary doctorates from the University of Natal, the University of Port Elizabeth, the University of Cape Town, the University of the North, the University of Lesotho and the University of Massachusetts. In October 1991, he was a visiting Professor of Law at Stanford University.

Ramaphosa received the Olof Palme prize in Stockholm in October 1987.

International positions

In his role as a businessman, Ramaphosa is a member of the Coca-Cola Company International Advisory Board as well as the Unilever Africa Advisory Council. He was also the first deputy chairman of the Commonwealth Business Council.

Along with the ex-president of Finland, Maartti Ahtisaari, he was appointed an inspector of the Irish Republican Army weapons dumps in Northern Ireland. Ramaphosa also sits on the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty and is the Honorary Consul General for Iceland in South Africa.