Apartheid, a system of institutionalized racial segregation and discrimination, ended in South Africa in the early 1990s. The process of ending apartheid and transitioning to a multi-racial democracy began in the late 1980s, and the first fully democratic elections were held in 1994. Nelson Mandela, who had been imprisoned for 27 years for his activism against apartheid, was elected as the country’s first black president. The end of apartheid marked a significant turning point in South Africa’s history and is celebrated annually on April 27, Freedom Day.