The Apartheid was a system of racial segregation enforced in South Africa between 1948 and 1994 that curtailed the rights of black citizens. Nelson Mandela, who spent 27 years in jail for his involvement in revolutions against apartheid through the African National Congress party, was elected as the first president after apartheid ended. Apartheid officially ended in 1994 after president De Klerk began negotiations and held multi-racial elections, which were won by Nelson Mandela.