Nelson Mandela is a person.
Nelson Mandela . He was the country 's first black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election . Ideologically an African nationalist and socialist , he served as President of the African National Congress ( ANC ) party from 1991 to 1997 . Internationally , he acted as mediator in the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial and served as Secretary-General of the Non-Aligned Movement from 1998 to 1999 . The Xhosa people ( [ langˈkɔːsə ] or [ ˈkoʊsə ] [ kǁʰɔ́ːsa ] ) are a Bantu ethnic group of Southern Africa mainly found in the Eastern Cape , South Africa , and in the last two centuries throughout the southern and central-southern parts of the country .