Nelson Mandela

== Presidency of South Africa: 1994–1999 ==
{{main|Presidency of Nelson Mandela}}
The newly elected National Assembly's first act was to formally elect Mandela as South Africa's first black chief executive. His inauguration took place in Pretoria on 10 May 1994, televised to a billion viewers globally. The event was attended by four thousand guests, including world leaders from a wide range of geographic and ideological backgrounds.{{sfnm|1a1=Meredith|1y=2010|1p=514|2a1=Sampson|2y=2011|2pp=492–493}} Mandela headed a [[Government of National Unity (South Africa)|Government of National Unity]] dominated by the ANC—which had no experience of governing by itself—but containing representatives from the National Party and Inkatha. Under the Interim Constitution, Inkatha and the National Party were entitled to seats in the government by virtue of winning at least 20 seats. In keeping with earlier agreements, both de Klerk and Thabo Mbeki were given the position of [[Deputy President of South Africa|Deputy President]].{{sfnm|1a1=Barber|1y=2004|1p=3|2a1=Sampson|2y=2011|2pp=491–492}}<ref>{{cite news|title=Mandela becomes SA's first black president |publisher=BBC |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/10/newsid_2661000/2661503.stm |access-date=26 May 2008 |date=10 May 1994 |archive-date=7 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107140445/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/10/newsid_2661000/2661503.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> Although Mbeki had not been his first choice for the job, Mandela grew to rely heavily on him throughout his presidency, allowing him to shape policy details.{{sfnm|1a1=Barber|1y=2004|1p=87|2a1=Lodge|2y=2006|2p=210|3a1=Meredith|3y=2010|3p=566|4a1=Sampson|4y=2011|4pp=508–511}} Moving into the presidential office at [[Tuynhuys]] in Cape Town, Mandela allowed de Klerk to retain the presidential residence in the [[Groote Schuur]] estate, instead settling into the nearby Westbrooke manor, which he renamed "[[Genadendal Residence|Genadendal]]", meaning "Valley of Mercy" in Afrikaans.{{sfnm|1a1=Meredith|1y=2010|1pp=523, 543|2a1=Sampson|2y=2011|2pp=496–497}} Retaining his Houghton home, he also had a house built in his home village of Qunu, which he visited regularly, meeting with locals, and judging tribal disputes.{{sfn|Sampson|2011|p=502}}

Aged 76, he faced various ailments, and although exhibiting continued energy, he felt isolated and lonely.{{sfn|Sampson|2011|pp=497–499, 510}} He often entertained celebrities, such as [[Michael Jackson]], [[Whoopi Goldberg]] and the [[Spice Girls]], and befriended ultra-rich businessmen, like [[Harry Oppenheimer]] of [[Anglo American plc|Anglo American]]. He also met with Queen [[Elizabeth II]] on her March 1995 [[state visit]] to South Africa, which earned him strong criticism from ANC anti-capitalists.{{sfn|Sampson|2011|pp=501, 504}} Despite his opulent surroundings, Mandela lived simply, donating a third of his [[South African rand|R]] 552,000 annual income to the [[Nelson Mandela Children's Fund]], which he had founded in 1995.{{sfnm|1a1=Lodge|1y=2006|1p=209|2a1=Meredith|2y=2010|2p=543|3a1=Sampson|3y=2011|3p=517}} Although dismantling press censorship, speaking out in favour of [[freedom of the press]] and befriending many journalists, Mandela was critical of much of the country's media, noting that it was overwhelmingly owned and run by middle-class whites and believing that it focused too heavily on scaremongering about crime.{{sfnm|1a1=Lodge|1y=2006|1pp=208–209|2a1=Meredith|2y=2010|2pp=547–548|3a1=Sampson|3y=2011|3pp=525–527}}

In December 1994, Mandela published ''[[Long Walk to Freedom]]'', an autobiography based around a manuscript he had written in prison, augmented by interviews conducted with American journalist [[Richard Stengel]].{{sfnm|1a1=Lodge|1y=2006|1p=186|2a1=Meredith|2y=2010|2p=517}} In late 1994, he attended the [[49th National Conference of the African National Congress|49th conference]] of the ANC in [[Bloemfontein]], at which a more militant national executive was elected, among them Winnie Mandela; although she expressed an interest in reconciling, Nelson initiated divorce proceedings in August 1995.{{sfnm|1a1=Meredith|1y=2010|1pp=539–542|2a1=Sampson|2y=2011|2pp=500, 507}} By 1995, he had entered into a relationship with [[Graça Machel]], a Mozambican political activist 27 years his junior who was the widow of former president [[Samora Machel]]. They had first met in July 1990 when she was still in mourning, but their friendship grew into a partnership, with Machel accompanying him on many of his foreign visits. She turned down Mandela's first marriage proposal, wanting to retain some independence and dividing her time between Mozambique and Johannesburg.{{sfnm|1a1=Lodge|1y=2006|1pp=222–223|2a1=Meredith|2y=2010|2pp=574–575|3a1=Sampson|3y=2011|3pp=546–549}}

=== National reconciliation ===
{{Quote box|width=25em|align=right|quote=Gracious but steely, [Mandela] steered a country in turmoil toward a negotiated settlement: a country that days before its first democratic election remained violent, riven by divisive views and personalities. He endorsed national reconciliation, an idea he did not merely foster in the abstract, but performed with panache and conviction in reaching out to former adversaries. He initiated an era of hope that, while not long-lasting, was nevertheless decisive, and he garnered the highest international recognition and affection.|salign=right |source=—&thinsp;Rita Barnard, ''The Cambridge Companion to Nelson Mandela''{{sfn|Barnard|2014|p=1}} }}

Presiding over the transition from apartheid minority rule to a multicultural democracy, Mandela saw national reconciliation as the primary task of his presidency.{{sfn|Sampson|2011|p=524}} Having seen other post-colonial African economies damaged by the departure of white elites, Mandela worked to reassure South Africa's white population that they were protected and represented in "the [[Rainbow Nation]]".{{sfnm|1a1=Lodge|1y=2006|1p=213|2a1=Meredith|2y=2010|2p=517|3a1=Sampson|3y=2011|3pp=495–496}} Although his Government of National Unity would be dominated by the ANC,{{sfnm|1a1=Barber|1y=2004|1p=88|2a1=Lodge|2y=2006|2p=204}} he attempted to create a broad coalition by appointing de Klerk as Deputy President and appointing other National Party officials as ministers for Agriculture, Environment, and Minerals and Energy, as well as naming Buthelezi as [[Minister of Home Affairs (South Africa)|Minister for Home Affairs]].{{sfn|Sampson|2011|pp=507–511}} The other cabinet positions were taken by ANC members, many of whom—like [[Joe Modise]], [[Alfred Nzo]], Joe Slovo, [[Mac Maharaj]] and [[Dullah Omar]]—had long been comrades of Mandela, although others, such as [[Tito Mboweni]] and [[Jeff Radebe]], were far younger.{{sfn|Sampson|2011|p=508}} Mandela's relationship with de Klerk was strained; Mandela thought that de Klerk was intentionally provocative, and de Klerk felt that he was being intentionally humiliated by the president.{{sfnm|1a1=Lodge|1y=2006|1pp=204–205|2a1=Meredith|2y=2010|2p=528|3a1=Sampson|3y=2011|3pp=511, 534}} In January 1995, Mandela heavily chastised de Klerk for awarding amnesty to 3,500 police officers just before the election, and later criticised him for defending former [[Minister of Defence and Military Veterans|Minister of Defence]] [[Magnus Malan]] when the latter was charged with murder.{{sfnm|1a1=Lodge|1y=2006|1pp=204–205|2a1=Meredith|2y=2010|2p=528|3a1=Sampson|3y=2011|3pp=511, 534}}

Mandela personally met with senior figures of the apartheid regime, including lawyer Percy Yutar and [[Hendrik Verwoerd]]'s widow, [[Betsie Schoombie]], also laying a wreath by the statue of Afrikaner hero [[Daniel Theron]].{{sfnm|1a1=Lodge|1y=2006|1p=212|2a1=Meredith|2y=2010|2pp=523–524|3a1=Sampson|3y=2011|3pp=520, 522–523}} Emphasising personal forgiveness and reconciliation, he announced that "courageous people do not fear forgiving, for the sake of peace."{{sfnm|1a1=Meredith|1y=2010|1pp=523–524|2a1=Sampson|2y=2011|2pp=520, 522–523}} He encouraged black South Africans to get behind the previously hated national rugby team, the [[South African national rugby union team|Springboks]], as South Africa hosted the [[1995 Rugby World Cup]]. Mandela wore a Springbok shirt at the [[1995 Rugby World Cup Final|final]] against New Zealand, and after the Springboks won the match, Mandela presented the trophy to captain [[Francois Pienaar]], an Afrikaner. This was widely seen as a major step in the reconciliation of white and black South Africans; as de Klerk later put it, "Mandela won the hearts of millions of white rugby fans."{{sfnm|1a1=Lodge|1y=2006|1p=212|2a1=Meredith|2y=2010|2pp=525–527|3a1=Sampson|3y=2011|3pp=516, 524}}<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/rugby_world_cup/team_pages/south_africa/3167692.stm |title=Mandela rallies Springboks |date=6 October 2003 |work=BBC Sport |access-date=28 October 2008 |archive-date=25 February 2013 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6EhlM6rLh?url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/rugby_world_cup/team_pages/south_africa/3167692.stm |url-status=live }}; {{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/portal/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/portal/2007/10/19/ftmandela119.xml |title=How Nelson Mandela won the rugby World Cup |date=19 October 2007 |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |access-date=28 October 2008 |first=John |last=Carlin |archive-date=25 February 2013 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6EhlMWoPg?url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/features/3634426/How-Nelson-Mandela-won-the-rugby-World-Cup.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Mandela's efforts at reconciliation assuaged the fears of [[white people]], but also drew criticism from more militant black people.{{sfnm|1a1=Lodge|1y=2006|1p=213|2a1=Meredith|2y=2010|2pp=517, 536|3a1=Sampson|3y=2011|3pp=491, 496, 524}} Among the latter was his estranged wife, Winnie, who accused the ANC of being more interested in appeasing the white community than in helping the black majority.{{sfnm|1a1=Meredith|1y=2010|1pp=517, 536|2a1=Sampson|2y=2011|2pp=491, 496, 524}}

Mandela oversaw the formation of a [[Truth and Reconciliation Commission (South Africa)|Truth and Reconciliation Commission]] to investigate crimes committed under apartheid by both the government and the ANC, appointing Tutu as its chair. To prevent the creation of martyrs, the commission granted individual amnesties in exchange for testimony of crimes committed during the apartheid era. Dedicated in February 1996, it held two years of hearings detailing rapes, torture, bombings and assassinations before issuing its final report in October 1998. Both de Klerk and Mbeki appealed to have parts of the report suppressed, though only de Klerk's appeal was successful.{{sfnm|1a1=Meredith|1y=2010|1pp=527, 551–564|2a1=Sampson|2y=2011|2pp=528–532}} Mandela praised the commission's work, stating that it "had helped us move away from the past to concentrate on the present and the future".{{sfnm|1a1=Meredith|1y=2010|1p=563|2a1=Sampson|2y=2011|2p=532}}

=== Domestic programmes ===
[[File:Rdphouses.jpg|thumb|left|Houses in Soweto constructed under the RDP program]]

Mandela's administration inherited a country with a huge disparity in wealth and services between white and black communities. Of a population of 40 million, around 23&nbsp;million lacked electricity or adequate sanitation, and 12&nbsp;million lacked clean water supplies, with 2&nbsp;million children not in school and a third of the population illiterate. There was 33% unemployment, and just under half of the population lived below the poverty line.{{sfn|Meredith|2010|pp=518–520}} Government financial reserves were nearly depleted, with a fifth of the national budget being spent on debt repayment, meaning that the extent of the promised Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) was scaled back, with none of the proposed nationalisation or job creation.{{sfnm|1a1=Meredith|1y=2010|1p=519|2a1=Sampson|2y=2011|2pp=514–515}} In 1996, the RDP was replaced with a new policy, Growth, Employment and Redistribution (GEAR), which maintained South Africa's [[mixed economy]] but placed an emphasis on economic growth through a framework of [[market economics]] and the encouragement of foreign investment; many in the ANC derided it as a [[neo-liberalism|neo-liberal]] policy that did not address social inequality, no matter how Mandela defended it.{{sfn|Barber|2004|pp=122–124, 162}} In adopting this approach, Mandela's government adhered to the "[[Washington consensus]]" advocated by the [[World Bank]] and [[International Monetary Fund]].{{sfnm|1a1=Muthien|1a2=Khosa|1a3=Magubane|1y=2000|1pp=369–370|2a1=Meredith|2y=2010|2pp=520–521}}

Under Mandela's presidency, welfare spending increased by 13% in 1996/97, 13% in 1997/98, and 7% in 1998/99.{{sfn|Houston|Muthien|2000|p=62}} The government introduced parity in grants for communities, including disability grants, child maintenance grants and old-age pensions, which had previously been set at different levels for South Africa's different racial groups.{{sfn|Houston|Muthien|2000|p=62}} In 1994, free healthcare was introduced for children under six and pregnant women, a provision extended to all those using primary level public sector health care services in 1996.{{sfnm|1a1=Lodge|1y=2006|1p=205|2a1=Meredith|2y=2010|2p=521}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ci.org.za/depts/ci/pubs/pdf/general/gauge2006/gauge2006_healing.pdf |title=Healing inequalities: The free health care policy |publisher=Children's Institute |access-date=15 May 2011 |author1=Leatt, Annie |author2=Shung-King, Maylene |author3=Monson, Jo |name-list-style=amp |archive-date=24 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130724083745/http://www.ci.org.za/depts/ci/pubs/pdf/general/gauge2006/gauge2006_healing.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> By the 1999 election, the ANC could boast that due to their policies, 3 million people were connected to telephone lines, 1.5&nbsp;million children were brought into the education system, 500 clinics were upgraded or constructed, 2&nbsp;million people were connected to the electricity grid, water access was extended to 3&nbsp;million people, and 750,000 houses were constructed, housing nearly 3&nbsp;million people.{{sfn|Herbst|2003|p=312}}

[[File:Nelson Mandela 1998.JPG|thumb|right|Mandela on a visit to Brazil in 1998]]

The Land Reform Act 3 of 1996 safeguarded the rights of labour tenants living on farms where they grew crops or grazed livestock. This legislation ensured that such tenants could not be evicted without a court order or if they were over the age of 65.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nmmu.ac.za/documents/theses/AAFabbriciani.pdf |title=Land Reform Policies in South Africa Compare To Human Rights Internationally |access-date=11 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331101705/http://www.nmmu.ac.za/documents/theses/AAFabbriciani.pdf |archive-date=31 March 2012 }}; {{cite web |url=http://www.info.gov.za/gazette/acts/1996/a3-96.htm |title=No. 3 of 1996: Land Reform (Labour Tenants) Act, 1996 |date=22 March 1996 |publisher=South African Government Online |access-date=26 February 2013 |archive-date=26 February 2013 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6EiD8JvCc?url=http://www.info.gov.za/gazette/acts/1996/a3-96.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> Recognising that arms manufacturing was a key industry for the South African economy, Mandela endorsed the trade in weapons but brought in tighter regulations surrounding [[Armscor (South Africa)|Armscor]] to ensure that South African weaponry was not sold to authoritarian regimes.{{sfn|Barber|2004|pp=102–194}} Under Mandela's administration, tourism was increasingly promoted, becoming a major sector of the South African economy.{{sfn|Barber|2004|p=130}}

Critics like [[Edwin Cameron]] accused Mandela's government of doing little to stem the [[HIV/AIDS]] pandemic in the country; by 1999, 10% of South Africa's population were HIV positive. Mandela later admitted that he had personally neglected the issue, in part due to public reticence in discussing issues surrounding sex in South Africa, and that he had instead left the issue for Mbeki to deal with.{{sfnm|1a1=Barber|1y=2004|1pp=135–137|2a1=Lodge|2y=2006|2p=219|3a1=Meredith|3y=2010|3pp=571–573}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/jul/06/nelsonmandela.southafrica |title=Mandela at 85 |work=The Observer |location=London |first=Anthony |last=Sampson |author-link=Anthony Sampson |date=6 July 2003 |access-date=26 May 2008 |archive-date=26 February 2013 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6EiCWnTJS?url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/jul/06/nelsonmandela.southafrica |url-status=live }}; {{cite web|title=Can Mandela's AIDS Message Pierce the Walls of Shame? |publisher=Peninsula Peace and Justice Center |date=9 January 2005 |url=http://peaceandjustice.org/article.php?story=20050109125126110&mode=print |access-date=26 May 2008 |archive-date=26 February 2013 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6EiCWr1mK?url=http://peaceandjustice.org/article.php?story=20050109125126110&mode=print |url-status=dead }}; {{cite news|title=South Africa: Mandela Deluged With Tributes as He Turns 85 |url=http://allafrica.com/stories/200307190001.html |work=[[AllAfrica]] |first=Ofeibea |last=Quist-Arcton |author-link=Ofeibea Quist-Arcton|date=19 July 2003 |access-date=26 May 2008 |archive-date=26 February 2013 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6Eile2xQ7?url=http://allafrica.com/stories/200307190001.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Mandela also received criticism for failing to sufficiently combat crime; South Africa had one of the world's highest crime rates,{{sfnm|1a1=Meredith|1y=2010|1p=573|2a1=Sampson|2y=2011|2pp=510, 565–68}} and the activities of international crime syndicates in the country grew significantly throughout the decade.{{sfn|Barber|2004|pp=137–138}} Mandela's administration was also perceived as having failed to deal with the problem of corruption.{{sfnm|1a1=Meredith|1y=2010|1pp=544–547|2a1=Sampson|2y=2011|2p=510}}

Further problems were caused by the exodus of thousands of skilled white South Africans from the country, who were escaping the increasing crime rates, higher taxes and the impact of [[positive discrimination]] toward black people in employment. This exodus resulted in a [[brain drain]], and Mandela criticised those who left.{{sfnm|1a1=Barber|1y=2004|1p=131|2a1=Meredith|2y=2010|2p=573|3a1=Sampson|3y=2011|3pp=510, 565–68}} At the same time, South Africa experienced an influx of millions of [[Illegal immigration|illegal migrants]] from poorer parts of Africa; although public opinion toward these illegal immigrants was generally unfavourable, characterising them as disease-spreading criminals who were a drain on resources, Mandela called on South Africans to embrace them as "brothers and sisters".{{sfn|Barber|2004|p=133}}

=== Foreign affairs ===
Mandela expressed the view that "South Africa's future foreign relations [should] be based on our belief that human rights should be the core of international relations".{{sfnm|1a1=Barber|1y=2004|1p=89|2a1=Lodge|2y=2006|2p=214}} Following the South African example, Mandela encouraged other nations to resolve conflicts through diplomacy and reconciliation.{{sfn|Sampson|2011|p=555}} In September 1998, Mandela was appointed secretary-general of the [[Non-Aligned Movement]], who held their annual conference in Durban. He used the event to criticise the "narrow, chauvinistic interests" of the Israeli government in stalling negotiations to end the [[Israeli–Palestinian conflict]] and urged India and Pakistan to negotiate to end the [[Kashmir conflict]], for which he was criticised by both Israel and India.{{sfn|Sampson|2011|p=559}} Inspired by the region's economic boom, Mandela sought greater economic relations with East Asia, in particular with Malaysia, although this was prevented by the [[1997 Asian financial crisis]].<ref>{{harvnb|Sampson|2011|pp=560–561}}.</ref> He extended diplomatic recognition to the People's Republic of China (PRC), who were growing as an economic force, and initially also to Taiwan, who were already longstanding investors in the South African economy. However, under pressure from the PRC, he cut recognition of Taiwan in November 1996, and he paid an official visit to Beijing in May 1999.{{sfn|Barber|2004|pp=107–108}}

[[File:President Bill Clinton with Nelson Mandela.jpg|thumb|left|Mandela with US president [[Bill Clinton]]. Despite publicly criticising him on several occasions, Mandela liked Clinton, and personally supported him during [[Impeachment of Bill Clinton|his impeachment proceedings]].{{sfnm|1a1=Lodge|1y=2006|1p=216|2a1=Sampson|2y=2011|2pp=561–567}}]]

Mandela attracted controversy for his close relationship with Indonesian president Suharto, whose regime was responsible for mass human rights abuses, although on a July 1997 visit to Indonesia he privately urged Suharto to withdraw from the [[Indonesian occupation of East Timor|occupation of East Timor]].{{sfnm|1a1=Barber|1y=2004|1pp=104–105|2a1=Sampson|2y=2011|2p=560}} He also faced similar criticism from the West for his government's trade links to Syria, Cuba and Libya{{sfn|Lodge|2006|p=214}} and for his personal friendships with Castro and Gaddafi.{{sfn|Sampson|2011|pp=562–563}} Castro visited South Africa in 1998 to widespread popular acclaim, and Mandela met Gaddafi in Libya to award him the [[Order of Good Hope]].{{sfn|Sampson|2011|pp=562–563}} When Western governments and media criticised these visits, Mandela lambasted such criticism as having racist undertones,{{sfn|Sampson|2011|p=564}} and stated that "the enemies of countries in the West are not our enemies."{{sfn|Lodge|2006|p=214}} Mandela hoped to resolve the long-running dispute between Libya and the United States and Britain over bringing to trial the two Libyans, [[Abdelbaset al-Megrahi]] and [[Lamin Khalifah Fhimah]], who were indicted in November 1991 and accused of sabotaging [[Pan Am Flight 103]]. Mandela proposed that they be tried in a third country, which was agreed to by all parties; governed by [[Scots law]], the trial was held at [[Camp Zeist, Netherlands|Camp Zeist]] in the Netherlands in April 1999, and found one of the two men guilty.{{sfnm|1a1=Barber|1y=2004|1p=144|2a1=Lodge|2y=2006|2pp=215–216|3a1=Sampson|3y=2011|3pp=563–564}}<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/1144147.stm |title=Analysis: Lockerbie's long road |publisher=BBC |access-date=26 May 2008 |date=31 January 2001 |archive-date=9 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130709171256/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/1144147.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Mandela echoed Mbeki's calls for an "[[African Renaissance]]", and he was greatly concerned with issues on the continent.{{sfnm|1a1=Barber|1y=2004|1pp=124–125|2a1=Sampson|2y=2011|2pp=556–557}} He took a [[soft power|soft diplomatic]] approach to removing [[Sani Abacha]]'s military junta in Nigeria but later became a leading figure in calling for sanctions when Abacha's regime increased human rights violations.{{sfnm|1a1=Barber|1y=2004|1pp=108–110|2a1=Lodge|2y=2006|2p=215|3a1=Sampson|3y=2011|3pp=556–557}} In 1996, he was appointed chairman of the [[Southern African Development Community]] (SADC) and initiated unsuccessful negotiations to end the [[First Congo War]] in [[Zaire]].{{sfnm|1a1=Barber|1y=2004|1pp=176–177|2a1=Lodge|2y=2006|2p=216|3a1=Sampson|3y=2011|3p=558}} He also played a key role as a mediator in the ethnic conflict between [[Tutsi]] and [[Hutu]] political groups in the [[Burundian Civil War]], helping to initiate a settlement which brought increased stability to the country but did not end the ethnic violence.{{sfn|Lodge|2006|pp=217–218}} In [[South African intervention in Lesotho|South Africa's first post-apartheid military operation]], troops were ordered into Lesotho in September 1998 to protect the government of Prime Minister [[Pakalitha Mosisili]] after a disputed election had prompted opposition uprisings. The action was not authorised by Mandela himself, who was out of the country at the time, but by Buthelezi, who was serving as acting president during Mandela's absence,{{sfnm|1a1=Barber|1y=2004|1pp=111–113|2a1=Sampson|2y=2011|2pp=558–559}} with the approval of Mandela and Mbeki.<ref name="mgMandela2018Remembering">{{cite web| url = https://mg.co.za/article/2018-09-19-mandela-and-military-force-its-use-is-determined-by-the-situation/| title = Remembering the moment that SA soldiers marched into Lesotho - The Mail & Guardian| date = 19 September 2018| access-date = 11 November 2022| archive-date = 11 November 2022| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20221111050954/https://mg.co.za/article/2018-09-19-mandela-and-military-force-its-use-is-determined-by-the-situation/| url-status = live}}</ref>

=== Withdrawing from politics ===
[[File:Thabo-mbeki-district-six.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|right|In the latter part of his presidency, Mandela increasingly relied on his Deputy President, Thabo Mbeki (pictured).]]
The new [[Constitution of South Africa]] was agreed upon by parliament in May 1996, enshrining a series of institutions to place checks on political and administrative authority within a constitutional democracy.{{sfn|Muthien|Khosa|Magubane|2000|p=366}} De Klerk opposed the implementation of this constitution, and that month he and the National Party withdrew from the coalition government in protest, claiming that the ANC were not treating them as equals.{{sfnm|1a1=Barber|1y=2004|1pp=128–129|2a1=Lodge|2y=2006|2p=204|3a1=Meredith|3y=2010|3pp=529–530|4a1=Sampson|4y=2011|4p=534}} The ANC took over the cabinet positions formerly held by the Nationals, with Mbeki becoming sole Deputy President.{{sfn|Sampson|2011|p=535}} Inkatha remained part of the coalition,{{sfn|Barber|2004|pp=128–129}} and when both Mandela and Mbeki were out of the country in September 1998, Buthelezi was appointed "Acting President", marking an improvement in his relationship with Mandela.{{sfnm|1a1=Lodge|1y=2006|1p=207|2a1=Sampson|2y=2011|2p=536}} Although Mandela had often governed decisively in his first two years as president,{{sfn|Lodge|2006|p=211}} he had subsequently increasingly delegated duties to Mbeki, retaining only a close personal supervision of intelligence and security measures.{{sfnm|1a1=Barber|1y=2004|1p=130|2a1=Lodge|2y=2006|2p=211}} During a 1997 visit to London, he said that "the ruler of South Africa, the ''de facto'' ruler, is Thabo Mbeki" and that he was "shifting everything to him".{{sfn|Lodge|2006|p=211}}

Mandela stepped down as ANC President at the party's December 1997 conference. He hoped that Ramaphosa would succeed him, believing Mbeki to be too inflexible and intolerant of criticism, but the ANC elected Mbeki regardless.{{sfnm|1a1=Lodge|1y=2006|1p=211|2a1=Meredith|2y=2010|2p=568|3a1=Sampson|3y=2011|3pp=537–543}} Mandela and the Executive supported [[Jacob Zuma]], a Zulu who had been imprisoned on Robben Island, as Mbeki's replacement for Deputy President. Zuma's candidacy was challenged by Winnie, whose populist rhetoric had gained her a strong following within the party, although Zuma defeated her in a landslide victory vote at the election.{{sfnm|1a1=Meredith|1y=2010|1p=568|2a1=Sampson|2y=2011|2pp=537–543}}

Mandela's relationship with Machel had intensified; in February 1998, he publicly stated that he was "in love with a remarkable lady", and under pressure from Tutu, who urged him to set an example for young people, he organised a wedding for his 80th birthday, in July that year.{{sfnm|1a1=Meredith|1y=2010|1p=576|2a1=Sampson|2y=2011|2pp=549–551}} The following day, he held a grand party with many foreign dignitaries.{{sfn|Sampson|2011|pp=551–552}} Although the 1996 constitution allowed the president to serve two consecutive five-year terms, Mandela had never planned to stand for a second term in office. He gave his farewell speech to Parliament on 29 March 1999 when it adjourned prior to the 1999 general elections, after which he retired.{{sfn|Sampson|2011|p=578}} Although opinion polls in South Africa showed wavering support for both the ANC and the government, Mandela himself remained highly popular, with 80% of South Africans polled in 1999 expressing satisfaction with his performance as president.{{sfn|Lodge|2006|p=219}}