Famous South African Presidents

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 1 
Nelson Mandela
(Anti-Apartheid Activist Who Served as the First President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999)
Nelson Mandela
24
Birthdate: July 18, 1918
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Mvezo, South Africa
Died: December 5, 2013
Revered as the Father of the Nation by the South Africans, Nelson Mandela was a statesman who rose to become the country’s first black head of state. He reconciled a nation divided along racial lines and dismantled the legacy of apartheid.
 2 
Cyril Ramaphosa
(President of South Africa)
Cyril Ramaphosa
15
Birthdate: November 17, 1952
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Soweto

Cyril Ramaphosa is a politician and the current president of South Africa. Also the president of South Africa's popular political party African National Congress (ANC), Ramaphosa played a key role during the nation's transition to democracy during which he served as ANC's chief negotiator. He also played a crucial role in ending apartheid and was considered Nelson Mandela's political heir.

 3 
Paul Kruger
(5th President of the South African Republic (1883 - 1902))
Paul Kruger
7
Birthdate: October 10, 1825
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Steynsburg, South Africa
Died: July 14, 1904

Paul Kruger was a South African politician who served as the last State President of the South African Republic. Revered by his admirers as a tragic folk hero, Kruger was one of the most influential military and political personalities in 19th-century South Africa. His life inspired the 1941 German film Ohm Krüger, in which Kruger was played by Emil Jannings.

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 4 
Jacob Zuma
(4th President of South Africa)
Jacob Zuma
21
Birthdate: April 12, 1942
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Nkandla, South Africaa

Jacob Zuma is a South African politician and fourth president of South Africa. During his presidency, which lasted from 2009 to 2018, Zuma was accused of racketeering and corruption which ultimately led to his resignation. Apart from being a politician, Zuma also runs the Jacob Zuma Foundation, which aims at building houses for the poor and sending children to school.

 5 
P. W. Botha
(Former Prime Minister of South Africa)
P. W. Botha
6
Birthdate: January 12, 1916
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Paul Roux, South Africa
Died: October 31, 2006
Better known as PW, Pieter Willem Botha had been the president and prime minister of South Africa. A law school drop-out, Botha grew up to unsuccessfully attempt a reconciliation between apartheid sympathizers and all-Black student and labor organizations. His refusal to testify before the TRC invited a fine.
 6 
John Vorster
(4th State President of South Africa (1978 - 1979) and 7th Prime Minister of South Africa (1966 - 1978))
John Vorster
4
Birthdate: December 13, 1915
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Jamestown, South Africa
Died: September 10, 1983

South African politician John Vorster had served as both the prime minister and the president of his country. Born to an affluent sheep farmer, he initially practiced law. An apartheid supporter, he was the minister of justice during the Rivonia Trial and was later dragged into the Muldergate Scandal.

 7 
Jacobus Johannes Fouché
(Former State President of South Africa)
Jacobus Johannes Fouché
2
Birthdate: June 6, 1898
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Wepener, South Africa
Died: September 23, 1980

Known to his followers as Oom Jim, or Uncle Jim, Jacobus Johannes Fouché had served as the president of South Africa. A Nationalist Party MP, he had also served as the minister of defense but failed to lift the embargo on arms supplies that was imposed by the UN.