With a wave of his hand and a few humble words, South African President Nelson Mandela bid farewell to his nation Wednesday but left behind a rich legacy of democracy and racial reconciliation. His successor, Mr. Thabo Mbeki, sworn into office immediately following Mr. Mandela's retirement, now faces the difficult task of moving South Africa from racial reconciliation to social transformation.

There is no other statesman alive who enjoys greater moral authority and international prestige and affection than South Africa's first black president. Emerging from nearly three decades in prison, Mr. Mandela not only managed to win his people's freedom, but did so without resorting to violence or vengeance against a white populace that had oppressed South Africa's black majority for decades. At a time when lesser men would have urged their followers to seek revenge, Mr. Mandela instead preached reconciliation and for the most part South Africans listened, enabling the country to make the transition from a racist state to a multiracial democracy.

The fairness and orderliness that marked South Africa's recent elections attest to Mr. Mandela's success in firmly establishing the roots of democracy in this nation of 40 million. And the time that he spent healing the country's racial divides at home was matched by the energy he devoted to promoting South Africa abroad and winning for it the respect and support of the international community.