After a decades-long struggle, Nelson Mandela's Africa National Congress party won a majority in South Africa's first multi-racial elections.
A fortnight later, the prominent activist and former political prisoner was sworn in as the country's first black president, an unbelievable occasion in a country that had only recently thrown off apartheid rule.
Statesman and dignitaries from some 140 nations across the globe watched as Mandela, was sworn in at a ceremony in Pretoria.
The new president paid tribute to his predecessor FW de Klerk, another person who was instrumental in bringing about the end of apartheid.
