A 1994 pre-election debate between Mandela and de Klerk

On 21 December 1993 President FW de Klerk held a press conference in which he challenged ANC President Nelson Mandela to a pre-election debate on television and radio. "The Great Debate" as media framed it was set for 14 April 1994 and it was seen as a showdown between South Africa's two political heavy weights.