President Thabo Mbeki is inaugurated at Union Buildings

After the African National Congress (ANC) registered a landslide victory in the 1999 general elections, Thabo Mbeki, who had replaced Nelson Mandela as the party's leader, became the second Black president of the Republic of South Africa. He was unanimously appointed by the new parliament on 14 June and inaugurated two days later at a ceremony held at the Union Buildings, during which President Mandela stepped down from public office. The theme of the inauguration was Faranani: Towards a New Century. The ceremony was attended by 4 500 guests, including various international dignitaries, and shown on big screens throughout the country.