Ramaphosa

History and Origins

Ramaphosa is a Venda surname from the Venda-speaking communities of Limpopo province in the far north of South Africa. The Venda people inhabit the Soutpansberg Mountain region — a landscape of forests, lakes, and hills distinct from the broader highveld, with a rich cultural tradition that includes the domba (python dance), sacred lakes, and a complex artistic heritage in woodcarving, pottery, and textile production.

The Venda were among the last groups to be conquered and incorporated into the structures of the South African state, maintaining their independence until the 1890s. During the apartheid era, the Venda homeland (Venda) was granted nominal independence as one of the bantustans, but it was reintegrated into South Africa with the end of apartheid in 1994.

The Ramaphosa surname became one of the most significant in South African public life through Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa (born 1952), who grew up in Soweto and Venda and built his career as a trade union organiser before becoming one of the architects of democratic South Africa. As general secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers (1982–1991), he led the union from 6,000 to 300,000 members and organised the most successful strikes in South African labour history.

Ramaphosa was the ANC's chief constitutional negotiator during the CODESA negotiations of 1991–1993 that produced South Africa's interim constitution. He was widely expected to succeed Nelson Mandela as President in 1994, but Thabo Mbeki was chosen instead. Ramaphosa left politics for business, becoming one of South Africa's most successful entrepreneurs and empowerment figures. He returned to politics, was elected Deputy President in 2014, and succeeded Jacob Zuma as President in February 2018. He was re-elected in May 2024.

Notable Ramaphosa Bearers

• Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa — President of South Africa (2018–present), former anti-apartheid trade union leader, constitutional negotiator, and businessman
• Tshepo Ramaphosa — businesswoman and public figure, sister of Cyril Ramaphosa, wife of mining billionaire Patrice Motsepe

Genealogy Research Guide

Venda genealogical research draws on the Limpopo Archives (Louis Trichardt/Makhado) and the National Archives (Pretoria). The ELIM Hospital mission records and Lutheran Mission (Berlin Missionary Society) records are important for nineteenth and early twentieth century Venda families. Oral clan traditions are the primary source for deeper ancestry.