Jacob Zuma

===Return from exile===
After the ANC was unbanned in February 1990, Zuma returned to South Africa on 21 March<ref name="Tromp-2018" /> to begin the negotiations process.<ref name="anc-bio" /> He was one of the first ANC leaders to return to South Africa for negotiations.<ref name="Tromp-2018" /> Later that year, he was elected unopposed as the ANC's Southern Natal Chairperson. Zuma, as a [[Zulu people|Zulu]], became known as a leading peace broker in Natal during the political violence of this period that was concentrated in that province, and arose largely from conflict between nationalist supporters of the then [[Xhosa people|Xhosa]]-dominated ANC and supporters of the Zulu nationalist<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Piper|first=Laurence|date=2002|title=Nationalism without a nation: the rise and fall of Zulu nationalism in South Africa's transition to democracy, 1975–99|url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1469-8219.00039|journal=Nations and Nationalism|language=en|volume=8|issue=1|pages=73–94|doi=10.1111/1469-8219.00039|hdl=10566/5798|issn=1469-8129|hdl-access=free}}</ref> [[Inkatha Freedom Party]] (IFP).<ref name="Tromp-2018" /> He is also credited with having expanded the ANC's Zulu support base in Natal.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Bosch|first=Marius|date=2007-12-12|title=Zulus want peacemaker Jacob Zuma for president|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-safrica-anc-zulus-idUSL1241626320071212|access-date=2021-12-24}}</ref> At the ANC's [[48th National Conference of the African National Congress|July 1991 elective conference]], Zuma stood for the post of ANC Secretary-General and lost to [[Cyril Ramaphosa]], but was elected Deputy Secretary-General, comfortably beating [[Alfred Baphethuxolo Nzo|Alfred Nzo]] and [[Popo Molefe]] in a vote.<ref name="Wren-1991">{{Cite news |last=Wren |first=Christopher S. |date=6 July 1991 |title=Moderates Chosen By Apartheid Foes |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/07/06/world/moderates-chosen-by-apartheid-foes.html |access-date=17 November 2022}}</ref>

In the [[1994 South African general election|1994 general election]], South Africa's first democratic election, Zuma stood as the ANC's candidate for the [[Premier (South Africa)|premiership]] of his newly constituted home province, [[KwaZulu Natal|KwaZulu-Natal]].<ref name=sahistory/> The ANC rose to power in the elections, with Mandela elected president and Mbeki his deputy, but lost KwaZulu-Natal to the IFP. Zuma became a [[Member of the Executive Council|member of the executive council]] (MEC) for economic affairs and tourism in KwaZulu-Natal.<ref name="anc-resignation-stmt">{{cite web|date=14 February 2018|title=Statement of the African National Congress Following the Resignation of the President of the Republic of South Africa, Comrade Jacob Zuma|url=https://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/zuma-resignation-read-the-ancs-full-statement-13289235|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215121216/https://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/zuma-resignation-read-the-ancs-full-statement-13289235|archive-date=15 February 2018|work=[[Independent Online (South Africa)|Independent Online]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=6 May 2009|title=A closer look at Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma|work=[[Independent Online (South Africa)|Independent Online]]|url=https://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/a-closer-look-at-jacob-gedleyihlekisa-zuma-442410}}</ref> In December 1994, he was elected [[Provincial Chairperson of the African National Congress|ANC provincial chairperson]] for KwaZulu-Natal, and at the ANC's [[49th National Conference of the African National Congress|1994 elective conference]] he was elected national chairperson, beating [[Pallo Jordan]] and [[Jeff Radebe]] by a large margin.<ref name="Namibian-1994">{{Cite news|date=1994-12-21|title=ANC shuffles its leaders|work=Namibian|url=https://www.namibian.com.na/archive_pdf_19851990/1994_TheNamibian/21%20December%201994.pdf|access-date=2021-12-11}}</ref> He held both positions until 1997, having been re-elected provincial chairperson in 1996.<ref name="sahistory" />