A former classmate of the newly-elected ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa, Vhulahani Nemakonde says Ramaphosa, who matriculated at Mphaphuli High school outside Thohoyandou in 1971, was an active student leader.
Ramaphosa, who was born in Soweto, did his Grade 11 and 12 at the school after his father relocated him to the former Venda homeland due to violent protest actions in Soweto.
Nemakonde says Ramaphosa showed signs of leadership at the school.
He says he also took part in dramas and he taught them to dramatise the books they were reading.
“Remember when he came here he was 18-years-old, but he showed signs of leadership when he was elected the president of the SCM, the president of the debating society, chairman of the Mphaphuli Cultural Society where he led students in the dramatisation of books. I remember when he led us in the dramatisation of the book called ‘The tale of two cities’ by Charles Dickens. The notes were written by him, the scripts were prepared by him and even teachers were happy about it.”
