South Africa emerged victorious from years of institutionalized racism in 1994 and entered an era of reconciliation embodied by anti-apartheid icon Mandela. Mbeki took over in 1999 and ushered in sustained economic growth averaging nearly 5 percent a year.
Mbeki was heralded by the international business community, but his aloofness alienated many people at home where millions remain on the margins of society. His foes accuse him of failing to fight crime and the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
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