Nelson Mandela was a president.
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela -LRB- -LSB- mndl -RSB- 18 July 1918 -- 5 December 2013 -RRB- was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary , politician , and philanthropist , who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999 .	anti-apartheid revolutionary	Internal resistance to South African apartheid	politician	Politics of South Africa	philanthropist	Philanthropy	President of South Africa	President of South Africa	apartheid	Apartheid in South Africa
From 1961 to 1994 , the head of state was called the State President .	head of state	head of state	State President	State President of South Africa
