Former President F. W. de Klerk moved to the centre of the political stage for what may be the last time yesterday, to announce his resignation as National Party leader.
His resignation - communicated to NP provincial leaders the day before and leaked to the Afrikaans press - caught most observers off guard as Mr De Klerk, at 61, is relatively young as a politician and still a major draw-card for the NP.
One reason suggested is the pending appearance before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of several former government leaders - including Mr De Klerk and his predecessor, Mr P. W. Botha - to answer questions about the security council, which served as the nerve centre of the struggle against apartheid.
The session might have led to further disclosures embarrassing to Mr De Klerk (who was a member of the council), comparable to those that led to the exhumation of anti-apartheid activists who were murdered by the security forces.
Mr De Klerk has repeatedly denied that he knew of, still less condoned, the assassination of political opponents. He declared yesterday: "I wish to emphasise that my decision has nothing to do with my - and the National Party's - dispute with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission . . .
"I am retiring because I am convinced it is in the best interests of the party and the country."
Competent party leaders, like efficient business managers, should not stay too long at the helm, the Nobel Peace Prize winner told journalists. With a general election pending in 1999, it was incumbent on him to give his successor a chance to put his own stamp on the party beforehand.
The party has suffered a steady stream of defections in the last few months.
President Nelson Mandela, who often quarrelled with Mr De Klerk, yesterday paid tribute to him for the role he played in helping to end apartheid and establish democracy in South Africa. "Whatever mistakes he may have made, and it is possible he may have made many, as many of us have done, I hope South Africa will not forget the role he has played."
The leader of the Freedom Front, Gen Constand Viljoen, however, welcomed Mr De Klerk's decision. His departure would facilitate greater co-operation between Afrikaners in the quest for self-determination, the general said.
At the opposite end of the political spectrum Bishop Stanley Mogoba, leader of the Pan Africanist Front, said: "There comes a time when every political leader has to bow out. De Klerk has gone a little beyond his time."
Revelations before the Truth Commission had begun to erode his earlier successes, Bishop Mogoba said.