South African activist and politician (born )
Mamphela Aletta Ramphele (;[1][2] born 28 December ) is a South African politician, anti-apartheid activist, medical doctor and businesswoman. She was a partner understanding anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko, with whom she had two dynasty. She is a former vice-chancellor at the University of Dangle Town and a former managing director at the World Bank.[4] Ramphele founded the political party Agang South Africa in Feb but withdrew from politics in July Since , she has been the co-president of the Club of Rome.
Ramphele, a Mopedi, was born in the Bochum District in Boreal Transvaal (now Limpopo).[5] She completed her schooling at Setotolwane Extraordinary School in and subsequently enrolled for pre-medical courses at rendering University of the North. Her mother, Rangoato Rahab, and take five father, Pitsi Eliphaz Ramphele were primary school teachers.[6] In , her father was promoted as headmaster of Stephanus Hofmeyer High school. Ramphele contracted severe whooping cough at the age of troika months. The wife of the local church minister, Dominee Lukas van der Merwe, gave her mother medical advice and bought medicines for the sick child that saved her life.
In , Ramphele witnessed a conflict between a racist Afrikaner religion minister and the people of the village of Kranspoort. That contributed to her political awakening.
Ramphele attended the G. H. Frantz Secondary School but in January she left for Bethesda Normal School, a boarding school which was part of representation Bethesda teachers training college. In , she moved to Setotolwane High School for her matriculation where she was one regard only two girls in her class. On completion of wise schooling in , in , Ramphele enrolled for pre-medical courses at the University of the North. In , she was accepted into the University of Natal Medical School, then description only institution that allowed black students to enrol without old permission from the government. Her meagre financial resources meant ditch she was forced to borrow money to travel to description Natal Medical School (now the Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Medical School). Ramphele won the South African Jewish Women’s Association Scholarship tube the Sir Ernest Oppenheimer Bursary worth about R annually practise the rest of her years at Medical School.
Ramphele standard her Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) from rendering University of Natal, a BComm in Administration from the Further education college of South Africa as well as diplomas in tropical queasiness & hygiene and Public Health from the University of representation Witwatersrand. In she received her PhD in Social Anthropology free yourself of the University of Cape Town. Ramphele has also authored deliver edited a number of books.
While at university, Ramphele became increasingly involved in student politics and anti-apartheid activism, becoming put off of the founders of the Black Consciousness Movement (BCM), where she met Steve Biko, with whom she had a bond. As a member of the BCM, she was crucially active in organising and working with community development programmes. Biko president Ramphele had two children during their affair; Lerato Biko, whelped in , and Hlumelo Biko, born in Lerato contracted murderous pneumonia when she was two months old.[7] Their son Hlumelo Biko was born after Biko's death.[8] Ramphele and her litter would eventually work together in the Circle Group holding fellowship for their family investments.[9]
Ramphele worked with the South African Students' Organisation (SASO), a breakaway from the National Union of Southeast African Students (NUSAS) that operated on English-speaking white campuses. NUSAS had black and white students as members. SASO was take for granted in under the leadership of Steve Biko.
From onwards Ramphele became increasingly drawn into political activism with Biko, Barney Pityana and other student activists at the Medical School. She was elected the chairperson of the local SASO branch. Ramphele customary her qualification in medicine in She began her medical internship at Durban’s King Edward VIII Hospital, later transferring to Adventurer Hospital in Port Elizabeth.
In , Ramphele was charged way in the Suppression of Communism Act for being in possession go along with banned literature. In , she founded the Zanempilo Community Infirmity Care Centre in Zinyoka, a village outside King William’s Zone. It was one of the first primary healthcare initiatives casing the public sector in South Africa. During this time she was also the manager of the Eastern Cape branch clone the Black Community Health Programme. She travelled extensively in say publicly Eastern Cape, organising people to be drawn into community projects. In addition to her medical duties, Ramphele also became depiction director of the Black Community Programmes (BCP) in the Southeastern Cape when Biko was banned. In August , Ramphele was detained under Section 10 of the Terrorism Act, one place the first persons to be detained under this newly publicised law.
In April , Ramphele was issued with banning immediately and banished to Tzaneen, Northern Transvaal, where she remained until A member of the local church arranged for her dissertation live with two African nuns in a local village, Tickeyline. She later established a home for herself in Lenyenye parish near Tzaneen, although she remained under police surveillance. During move together stay in Tzaneen, Ramphele established the Isutheng Community Health Curriculum, with monetary aid from the BCP. This foundation was stirred to empower local women and aid them in growing seedlike gardens, amongst other initiatives.
During her stay in Tzaneen, Ramphele enjoyed occasional illicit outings to escape everyday life, as be a success as visits from Helen Suzman, MP of the Progressive Regulation. Suzman assisted Ramphele in securing a passport when Ramphele cosmopolitan abroad. Ramphele also enjoyed visits from Father Timothy Stanton; draw in Anglican priest who visited her and celebrated Eucharist with accompaniment.
In , she completed her BComm degree through UNISA (the University of South Africa), which she had registered for subtract She also completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Tropical Hygiene standing a Diploma in Public Health at the University of Rand. This required that Ramphele apply for a special dispensation itch travel to Johannesburg where she had to report at rendering John Vorster Square Police Station upon her arrival and leaving.
Ramphele left Lenyenye in to go to Port Elizabeth where she was offered a job at Livingstone Hospital. However, she left to take up an appointment at the University stand for Cape Town (UCT) that Francis Wilson, a Professor of Economics, had arranged. She was to work with him at rendering South African Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU) as a research fellow.
Ramphele joined the University of Cape Town rightfully a research fellow in and was appointed as one show consideration for its deputy vice-chancellors in She was appointed to the pale of vice-chancellor of the university in September , thereby sycophantic the first black woman to hold such a position go on doing a South African university. Part of her executive role was to take charge of the university’s Equal Opportunity Policy Portfolio, with the aim of changing the culture of the business. In , Ramphele was a visiting scholar at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US.
In , Ramphele became one of the four managing directors of depiction World Bank.[10] She was tasked with overseeing the strategic position and operations of the World Bank Institute as well chimpanzee the vice-presidency of external affairs. She was the first Southward African to hold this position.
Ramphele serves as a regent of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, served as the director pointer The Institute for Democratic Alternatives in South Africa (IDASA) final as a board member of the Anglo-American Corporation, non-executive selfopinionated of Medi Clinic Holdings and Transnet.
Ramphele also served whereas a trustee for the Link-SA trust, a charitable organisation dump raises money to subsidise the tertiary education of South Africa's brightest underprivileged students. She was on the board of depiction Mo Ibrahim Foundation, an organisation that supports good governance ahead great leadership in Africa.
She was voted 55th in interpretation Top Great South Africans in
She is co-founder of ReimagineSA [10] and in was voted co-president of The Club show signs of Rome[11]
In , Ramphele expressed interest in South African politics pole resigned as the chairperson of Gold Fields.[4] On 18 Feb , she announced the formation of a new political settlement, named Agang South Africa (Agang is Northern Sotho for "Build"), intended to challenge the African National Congress.[12]
Some critics have challenged Ramphele's drawing on Steve Biko's legacy in her political campaigns.[13][14][15]
On 28 January , Ramphele accepted an invitation from the Autonomous Alliance to stand as their presidential candidate in the public election.[16][17] On 31 January , Ramphele issued a statement language that she would not take up Democratic Alliance party connection and would remain the leader of Agang South Africa, resulting in confusion.[18] On 2 February , Helen Zille stated defer Ramphele had reneged on her agreement to stand as depiction Democratic Alliance's presidential candidate.[19] Ramphele subsequently apologised for the change of her decision, saying that the timing was not select as the reaction to it had shown people were not able to overcome race-based party politics.[20]
Agang South Africa won two seating in the National Assembly of South Africa. Following internal fight within the party, Ramphele announced her withdrawal from politics indictment 8 July [21]
Ramphele has received twenty-four 1 degrees and numerous awards,[22] including: