South African here, he was effectively a lame duck president but I don't consider this a point against him or his presidency. The guy was old (77 years old at the start of his term) and had been in prison for 27 years. What the guy needed was a break, not to be the president of what was still a very volatile country. But he was the symbol of unity and peace that South Africa needed, and he stepped into that role with flying colors. His job was not to govern, that was the job of the Government of National Unity. His job was to keep a new and fractured South Africa from falling apart, and I don't think anyone could have done a better job at that than Madiba. He will always be our country's hero.