The President of the Republic of South Africa is the head of state and head of government under the Constitution of South Africa. From 1961 to 1994, the head of state was called the State President.
The role as President of South Africa was originally founded to be different from being prime minister. The two roles were merged in the 1983 constitution which calls for a four-year term of office. The 1993 and later constitutions limit the president's time in office to two five-year terms. The first President to be elected under the new constitution was Nelson Mandela. The current president is Cyril Ramaphosa.
List of presidents of South Africa (1994 – present) Nelson Mandela (10 May 1994 - 16 June 1999) Thabo Mbeki (16 June 1999 - 24 September 2008) Kgalema Motlanthe (25 September 2008 - 9 May 2009) Jacob Zuma (9 May 2009 - 14 February 2018) Cyril Ramaphosa (since 15 February 2018)