President Nelson Mandela, the first South African President, came to Congress on 6 October 1994 to give thanks for the work of the United States in helping his country. After being released from prison on 11 February 1990, Mandela worked from 1990 to 1994 as president of the African National Congress (ANC) in establishing the first multi-racial elections for South Africa. By 27 April 1994, South Africa held its first multi-racial elections and Mandela was inaugurated on 10 May 1994 as the country’s first black President.

In his address to Congress, Mandela spoke of how, “The new South Africa has been born out of, and into a new age of great change,” and “At the end, the bloodletting stopped. At the end, goodwill prevailed. At the end, the overwhelming majority both black and white, decided to invest in peace.” Throughout the speech, Mandela highlighted the need for continued work in the area of racial equality and that a strong relationship between South Africa and the United States would help achieve this goal.