Apartheid is discrimination based on race and the color of skin. Until 1991 the White government of South Africa ran a system of apartheid whereby Black people were given less access to employment, health and education and were kept separate from the White population. South African blacks were segregated into reserves known as ‘homelands’ and subjected to residential and occupational restrictions. Apartheid was maintained by a wide range of laws that included the prohibition of inter-racial sexual intercourse or marriage and outlawed racially integrated political and social organizations.
Nelson Mandela was the first President of South Africa to be elected in fully-representative democratic elections. He was an anti-apartheid activist and leader of the African National Congress. He spent 27 years in prison on convictions for crimes that included sabotage committed while he tried to end apartheid. Among opponents of apartheid in South Africa and internationally, he became a symbol of freedom and equality.
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