Nelson Mandela
Imprisoned for 27 years for his opposition to apartheid, Mandela came out of prison in 1990 expressing no bitterness towards his tormentors. Instead, he championed reconciliation among South Africa`s polarised races, espousing the principles of nation-building and cooperative governance.
As South Africa`s first democratically elected President in 1994, Mandela tackled the challenge of uniting both the country`s racial groupings and a fragmented public service whose delivery mandate was skewed in favour of the white population.
A significant milestone of the his presidency was the exemplary constitution-making process, which delivered a document that is the envy of the democratic world.
|