South Africa–United States relations a joint session of Congress. In September, de Klerk visited Washington, the first official state visit by a South African leader. Mandela was subsequently elected President of South Africa, and U.S. Vice President Al Gore and First Lady Hillary Clinton attended his inauguration in Pretoria in May 1994. In October of that year, Mandela returned to Washington for a state dinner hosted by U.S. President Bill Clinton. President Clinton visited South Africa in March 1998, marking the first time a sitting U.S. president visited the country. Since Clinton's visit, two of his successors have visited the country: President George W.
Heroes' Day (South Africa) nearest 10 October. Heroes' Day (South Africa) Kruger Day or Heroes' Day was a public holidays in South Africa from 1882 to 1899 and again from 1952 to 1994, celebrated annually on 10 October in South Africa. The day was named after Paul Kruger, a Boer resistance leader against British rule and later president of the South African Republic, who celebrated his birthday on 10 October. The day was used to underline the values and principles of the Afrikaner people. Kruger Day was first celebrated in 1882, while Paul Kruger was still alive. Kruger was then the vice president, but