[3] In February 1993, President F. W. de Klerk announced that he had appointed Williams to his cabinet in a reshuffle, naming him as Minister of Sport.
He and two others appointed at the same time – Jac Rabie and Bhadra Ranchod – became the first non-white politicians to serve in the South African cabinet, in a move viewed as an attempt by de Klerk's party, the NP, to broaden its appeal ahead of the upcoming multiracial elections.
[6] In addition, newly elected President Nelson Mandela appointed Williams to his multi-party Government of National Unity as Minister of Welfare and Population Development.
[9] He remained an ordinary Member of Parliament and was re-elected to a second term in his seat in the 1999 general election, serving the Western Cape constituency.
[3] The charges pertained to his time as a member of the Ministers' Council in the House of Representatives: he was accused of having accepted kickbacks from two companies which did business with the state.
He was also charged with theft, in connection with political donations that he had accepted for his community work on the Cape West Coast but had allegedly used for private purposes instead.