Who was South Africa's first democratically elected president?
Quick answer
Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s first democratically elected president in May 1994, after the country’s first elections open to citizens of all races, held on April 27, 1994. His party, the African National Congress (ANC), won about 62% of the vote. He was inaugurated on May 10, 1994.
Key facts
- President
- Nelson Mandela
- Term
- 1994–1999
- Years in prison
- 27 (1962–1990)
- Nobel Peace Prize
- 1993, shared with F. W. de Klerk
Ending apartheid
Apartheid (“separateness” in Afrikaans) was a system of laws, introduced in 1948, that segregated South Africans by race and denied the Black majority the vote. Mandela, a lawyer and ANC leader, fought against it, eventually turning to armed resistance after peaceful protest was banned.
Prison and release
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1962 | Arrested |
| 1964 | Sentenced to life imprisonment at the Rivonia Trial |
| 1964–1982 | Held on Robben Island, breaking rocks in a lime quarry |
| 1990 | Released after 27 years, on February 11 |
| 1993 | Nobel Peace Prize with President F. W. de Klerk |
| 1994 | Elected president |
The 1994 election
Millions of people, many voting for the first time, waited in lines that stretched for kilometers. April 27 is now a public holiday, Freedom Day.
A president of reconciliation
Mandela served one five-year term and chose not to run again. He focused on uniting the country:
- The Truth and Reconciliation Commission investigated apartheid-era crimes.
- He wore a Springbok rugby jersey, once a symbol of white South Africa, when the team won the 1995 Rugby World Cup, a moment shown in the film Invictus.
- A new constitution, adopted in 1996, is among the world’s most progressive.
Legacy
Mandela died on December 5, 2013, aged 95. His birthday, July 18, is Nelson Mandela International Day. South Africans affectionately call him Madiba, his clan name.
For a small kingdom surrounded by South Africa, see which country is surrounded by South Africa. For a US civil rights icon, read about who refused to give up her bus seat.
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