The 50th National Conference of the African National Congress (ANC) took place from 16 to 20 December 1997 at the University of the North West in what was then called Mafikeng. Attended by 3,000 voting delegates, the conference elected a successor to outgoing ANC President Nelson Mandela, who declined to stand for another term. Thabo Mbeki was elected unopposed, and Jacob Zuma was elected unopposed as his deputy; they were later elected President and Deputy President of the country in the 1999 general elections, in which the ANC won 66.35%, a notable increase from 62.65% in 1994.