South Africa was colonized by the English and Dutch in the seventeenth century. English domination of the Dutch descendants (known as Boers or Afrikaners) resulted in the Dutch establishing the new colonies of Orange Free State and Transvaal. The discovery of diamonds in these lands around 1900 resulted in an English invasion which sparked the Boer War. .
Apartheid consisted of numerous laws that allowed the ruling white minority in South Africa to segregate, and to exploit and terrorize the vast majority were Africans, but it also included Asians and Colored people of mixed race. In white-ruled South Africa, black people were denied basic human rights and political rights. Their labor was exploited, their lives segregated. .
Under Apartheid, racist beliefs were protected in law and any criticism of the law was not allowed, they frowned at anyone that wanted to talk about changing it. Apartheid was a racism made law. It was a system dictated how and where the large black majority would live, work and die. This system of racial discrimination and it defied the principles of the United Nations Charter. In 1976 the United Nations unanimously condemned the rise of one of the "homelands," Transkei, into an independent State because it remained dependent on South Africa. Not one country in the world recognized the new State. In 1982, almost one million black South Africans were transferred to another country, it waws called Swaziland and they did not even have the choice to say if they wanted to go or not. .
The Blacks ultimately,demonstrated, held strikes and rioted over such discriminatory practices. As a result diplomatic pressure mounted abroad for change. In 1990, Nelson Mandela, who had devoted his life to democracy, equality and learning for all South Africans, was released from prison after serving almost 30 years for those beliefs. He was elected president of the African National Congress the following year, and in 1993 received the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of all South Africans who suffered and sacrificed so much to bring peace to their country.