Africa’s Top Power Couples

From doctor turned fashion doyenne, a man of the cloth leading a mega church in Ghana, Africa’s richest woman who started her first business at age 24, and a First Gentleman who once participated in the Olympic Games – it’s no secret that Africa is filled with successful and inspirational individuals.

They come from various parts of the continent, span across sectors, with varied interests – from business, politics, fashion and philanthropy. Sometimes when such people meet and marry, the result is a Power Couple!
Africa.com considered couples from across the continent, married and or engaged to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication of this article. To qualify as a Power Couple, each individual must be powerful in their own right, with a source of power that is independent from their powerful spouse. Three South African couples were chosen for Africa’s Top Power Couples list:

Maria Ramos and Trevor Manuel; South Africa
She led the turnaround of South Africa’s rail transport industry during her tenure as Group Chief Executive of Transnet Limited; he spearheaded the country’s Finance Ministry for over a decade. Separately, they are both highly respected in their individual politics and business sectors, together, Maria Ramos and Trevor Manuel can quite easily be called South Africa’s Royal Finance Couple.

Maria Ramos’ impressive resume includes titles such as Director General of the National Treasury, Group Chief Executive of Transnet Limited and Chief Executive of one of South Africa’s largest banks, Absa Group. It was during her time at the National Treasury that the Portugal-born businesswoman came to know Trevor Manuel as they worked together. l. Though his childhood dream was to study law, the Capetonian got involved in politics during apartheid, which led to multiple political imprisonments. As part of the group known as ‘struggle heroes’, he rose up the ranks to become the ruling African National Congress’ (ANC) head of Economic Planning. He was appointed as Minister of Trade and Industry by President Nelson Mandela, who later appointed him Minister of Finance. He is considered by many to have been the top ranking finance minister on the continent, and the individual credited with shepherding the South African economy through one of its best ever periods of economic growth and development.Maria and Trevor got married in December 2008 in an intimate ceremony on a wine farm in Franschhoek, South Africa.

Dr. Precious Moloi-Motsepe and Patrice Motsepe; South Africa
The Motsepes are South Africa’s richest black family with a net worth estimated at over $2.5 billion by Forbes. Quite notably, they recently announced that they will follow the footsteps of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett and donate half of their wealth to philanthropy efforts.

Dr. Precious Moloi-Motsepe has many titles. A qualified medical doctor, she once worked as a general practitioner and opened up one of Johannesburg’s first women’s health clinics. She currently heads the Motsepe Family Foundation and sits on the board of numerous organizations. Often referred to as the “Queen of South African Fashion”, Precious has impeccable personal style, and is often in the front row of fashion shows across the continent as director of African Fashion International (AFI). The organization focuses on supporting and providing a platform for local fashion designers.

In 1989, Precious married Patrice. Born in Soweto on the outskirts of Johannesburg, Patrice Motsepe is now one of the richest men in Africa (Forbes lists him as the 4th richest person in South Africa, the 10th richest in Africa, and the 442nd richest in the world). The first black partner at law firm Bowman Gilfillan in 1994, Patrice later founded a mining company, African Rainbow Minerals. Patrice is fairly modest, though he did splurge on buying the local Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club in 2003.

Graça Machel and President Nelson Mandela; South Africa / Mozambique
On July 18, 1998, President Nelson Mandela celebrated more than his 80th birthday. He married his third wife, Graça Machel, who on that day became the only woman in the world to have married two state presidents. Her first husband, Mozambique president Samora Machel was killed in a plane crash more than a decade earlier.

Graça and Mandela’s wedding ceremony was an intimate event, witnessed only by close family and a handful of friends. In Mandela: The Authorized Biography, Anthony Sampson shares a description of that day: “They were married in the new house in Houghton, South Africa; Mandela in a gold-patterned open shirt, Graça wearing a long white dress with wide puffed sleeves, Elizabethan-style…” The wedding reception, on the other hand, wasa big event with over 2,000 guests who flew in from all corners of the globe. Nelson Mandela officially retired from public life in 2004, choosing to enjoy time at his home among rolling hills in a rural area.Qunu. When not spending time with her husband, Graça Machel remains an active advocate and humanitarian. Mozambique’s former (and first) Education and Culture Minister, Machel is now a member of the distinguished group of global leaders called “The Elders”, and continues to be an advocate for children’s and women’s rights.

For the full list, visit: http://www.africa.com/blog/africas-top-power-couples/

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Author: Afua Osei from Africa.com. Originally distributed by MyPR.co.za.