“DJ Maphorisa With Hair”: Throwback TikTok Video of a Young Cyril Ramaphosa Stuns Mzansi

• An old video of a young Cyril Ramaphosa speaking as a representative for miners went viral on TikTok
• The African National Congress (ANC) politician founded the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in 1982
• South Africans who saw the clip were amazed by Ramaphosa's youthful appearance and stated that, in some way, he looked like DJ Maphorisa

An old clip of a young President Cyril Ramaphosa during the apartheid era took many South Africans by surprise. Some locals were in awe of the politician's youthful look and even drew comparisons with Mzansi's DJ Maphorisa.

TikTok user @profnevhu uploaded a video to his account showing the ANC leader, who was 31 at the time, with a full head of hair and a beard.

According to the post, the video, which took place on 7 February 1984, saw Cyril in an interview with ITN's Peter Sharp speaking about South Africa's miners.

The post's caption read:

"A representative of the Mine Workers Union, Ramaphosa argued that the fact that safety spending decreased in line with the price of gold proved that profit took priority over workers' lives in the minds of the bosses."

Cyril Ramaphosa's involvement in mines

According to The Presidency's website, the president, who was born on 17 November 1952 in Soweto, joined an independent trade union — the Council of Unions of South Africa (CUSA) — after completing his degree in 1981.

When the apartheid government and the Chamber of Mines announced that black miners could be part of the trade union, CUSA encouraged Ramaphosa to establish the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) in 1982.

NUM focused on black miners' wages and working conditions, winning significant victories. In 1987, Ramaphosa even led the union into a three-week strike after a wage deadlock with the Chamber of Mines. This halted production at half of the country's gold mines and costing the industry millions.

SA speaks on young Cyril Ramaphosa

Reaching nearly half a million views since its publication, the viral video attracted numerous South African social media users to the comment section. While some people were stunned by Ramaphosa's looks, even calling him handsome, others thought he resembled the renowned DJ Maphorisa.

After watching the clip, @alondwe_dlamin admitted in the comments:

"It's crazy because I can hear him in him but can't see him in him."

@kea_sehume13 stated with a laugh:

"Yoh, I thought that was Maphorisa for a second."

@nessley98 asked the public:

"Why does he look like DJ Maphorisa with hair?"

@emotionalmom17 was one of many who wrote:

"He is handsome."

@mbongiseni1000 spoke about the young president's facial features, writing:

"Yoh, seeing how cute the nose was when he was young means that most of us are going have the same nose problem at an older age."

@zuzu_m31 laughed and added under the post:

"He has potential to be Phori's father."

@all.kas0 humorously told the online community:

"If he had trimmed his beard and had a low taper fade, he'd have girls swooning."

Take a look at the throwback video in the TikTok post below:

3 Other stories about Cyril Ramaphosa

• In another article, Briefly News reported on a local matric student who bravely invited the president to be her matric ball partner. People aren't sure if the request was done in jest.
• A woman caused a stir on social media when she boldy called Ramaphosa a fool. A few frustrated South Africans entered the TikTok post's comment section with their thoughts.
• Media personality Thando Thabethe responded to the president's national address regarding KZN General Nhhlanhla Mkhwanazi's allegations against Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu and other high-ranking politicians.

Source: Briefly News