Cyril Ramaphosa: from Lonmin mining massacre to President

The new South African leader was an apartheid hero - but some haven’t forgiven his role in the deaths of 34 miners

Cyril Ramaphosa was confirmed as South Africa’s new President the day after Jacob Zuma resigned
Cyril Ramaphosa was confirmed as South Africa’s new President the day after Jacob Zuma resigned
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Cyril Ramaphosa will lead South Africa into the next decade, a formidable challenge for the anti-apartheid activist-turned-businessman.

Ramaphosa, 65, is an activist lawyer who grew up in a poor township in Johannesburg. He was detained twice in the 1970s for anti-apartheid activities, Time says, and formed the National Union of Mineworkers in the 1980s.

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