Why did such a large number of international leaders attend the inauguration? What did it signify the triumph of?
(i) A large number of international leaders attended the inauguration to pay their respects to the newly formed democratic nation and to witness the installation of South Africa’s first democratic, non-racial government. It marked the largest gathering of international leaders on South African soil.
Mandela highlighted that those who were outlaws not so long ago were now given the rare privilege to host the nations of the world on their own soil. The leaders came to take possession with the South African people of this historic moment.
(ii) The event signified the triumph of a common victory for justice, for peace, for human dignity. It was a victory not just for South Africans, but for all of humanity, marking the end of an extraordinary human disaster.
The location, the Union Buildings, had been the seat of white supremacy for decades, and the gathering marked the end of this harsh system of racial domination. It celebrated the birth of a newborn liberty that replaced an inhumane society with one of which all humanity could be proud.
Explanation
The textbook context explicitly states that world leaders came to 'pay their respects' before the inauguration of the first democratic, non-racial government. In his speech, Mandela thanks them for coming to take possession of a 'common victory for justice, for peace, for human dignity.' The context also contrasts the new democratic setup with the past system of 'white supremacy' and 'racial domination', which Mandela refers to as an 'extraordinary human disaster'.