Cyril Ramaphosa wives Meet Tshepo Motsepe and Nomazizi Mtshotshisa

Cyril Ramaphosa is the current president of South Africa and a prominent political and business leader. He has been married three times, but only two of his wives remain alive.

His first wife was Hope Ramaphosa, whom he divorced in 1989. His second wife was Nomazizi Mtshotshisa, a nurse, lawyer, and activist who died in 2008.

His third and current wife is Tshepo Motsepe, a physician and businesswoman who is also the sister of billionaire Patrice Motsepe.

Tshepo Motsepe

Tshepo Motsepe was born on June 17, 1953, in Soweto, South Africa. She is the daughter of the late Chief Augustine Butana Chaane Motsepe, a prominent businessman and community leader.

She has two siblings, Bridgette Radebe, a mining magnate and the wife of former minister Jeff Radebe, and Patrice Motsepe, the founder and chairman of African Rainbow Minerals and the president of the Confederation of African Football.

Tshepo attended KwaMhlongo Primary School, Methodist Primary School, Welsh High School, and Healdtown High School.

She then studied medicine at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and obtained a master’s degree in public health from Harvard School of Public Health.

She also completed a Social Entrepreneurship Certificate Program at the Gordon Institute of Business Science.

Nomazizi Mtshotshisa

Nomazizi Mtshotshisa was born on March 30, 1944, in Duncan Village, East London, South Africa.

She was the daughter of Nyameka and Mbangeli Mtshotshisa, who were both teachers. She had four siblings, three brothers and a sister.

Nomazizi attended KwaMhlongo Primary School, Methodist Primary School, Welsh High School, and Healdtown High School.

She then trained as a nurse at the Livingstone Hospital in Port Elizabeth and later obtained a degree in nursing. She also studied law at the University of South Africa and became a legal advocate.

Marriage to Tshepo Motsepe

Tshepo Motsepe married Cyril Ramaphosa in 1996 after he divorced his first wife, Hope. They have four children together: two sons and two daughters. Tshepo is Ramaphosa’s third and current wife and the first lady of South Africa since 2018.

She is also the first lady of the African Union, as Ramaphosa served as the chairperson of the continental body from 2020 to 2021.

Tshepo and Ramaphosa have a strong and supportive relationship, and they often accompany each other to official events and engagements.

Tshepo is also involved in various social and charitable causes, such as early childhood development, women’s health, and education.

Marriage to Nomazizi Mtshotshisa

Nomazizi Mtshotshisa married Cyril Ramaphosa in 1991 after he separated from his first wife, Hope. They had one son together, who was born in 1992. Nomazizi was Ramaphosa’s second wife, and they divorced in 1993.

Nomazizi and Ramaphosa remained on good terms after their divorce and continued working together in various political and business ventures.

Nomazizi was also a close friend and ally of Nelson Mandela, the former president of South Africa and the leader of the anti-apartheid movement.

Career Endeavors

Tshepo Motsepe has had a successful and diverse career as a physician and a businesswoman. She has worked in public and private practice in Mmakau, Mahikeng, Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Zimbabwe.

She was also the deputy director of the Reproductive Health Research Institute, focusing on maternal and child health and HIV/AIDS prevention.

She is the current chairperson of the African Self-Help Trust, which supports early childhood development and education.

She is also a board member of the Wits Health Consortium, HospiceWits, the Students Sponsorship Program, and the Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation. S

he has received several awards and recognitions for her work, such as the Harvard Alumni Award and the South African Women of the Year Award.

Nomazizi Mtshotshisa, on the other hand, also had a remarkable and influential career as a nurse, a lawyer, and an activist.

She worked as a legal aid assistant and later as the director of the National Association of Democratic Lawyers, where she coordinated legal support for political prisoners and detainees during the apartheid era.

She also traveled to Harare, Zimbabwe, where she mobilized external support and resources for the struggle against apartheid.

She was also involved in the building of democracy and the transformation of state-owned enterprises in South Africa.

She was the chairperson of the free-to-air television station eTV and the board chairperson of Telkom, the largest telecommunications company in South Africa.

She led Telkom through a rapid and far-reaching transformation that resulted in unprecedented growth and a dual listing on the Johannesburg and New York stock exchanges.

She was also a board member of several other companies and organizations, such as the South African Broadcasting Corporation, the National Empowerment Consortium, and the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund.

Legacy

Tshepo Motsepe and Nomazizi Mtshotshisa are both inspiring and exemplary women who have left a lasting legacy in South Africa and beyond.

They have both demonstrated courageous and visionary leadership in their respective fields and sectors and contributed to their country’s social and economic development.

They have also been role models and mentors for many other women and young people who aspire to follow in their footsteps.

They have both shown that women can excel and make a difference in any sphere of life and that they can balance their personal and professional roles with grace and dignity.

Death

Nomazizi Mtshotshisa passed away on February 22, 2008, at the age of 63, after a long illness. She was mourned by her ex-husband, her son, her family, her colleagues, and her nation.

She was honored with a state funeral and a posthumous award of the Order of Luthuli in Bronze, one of the highest honors in South Africa, for her outstanding contribution to the struggle for democracy.