Apartheid was a system of racial segregation in South Africa , enforced by the government from 1948 until 1994 . We must therefore act together as a united people for national reconciliation , for nation building , for the birth of a new world , '' said Mandela in his inauguration speech when he became South Africa 's first black president in 1994 . These men and women were anti-apartheid activists who stood up against injustice . They did this through non-violent protest actions such as sit-ins at white owned businesses or refusing to pay taxes on their income.
Apartheid was a system of racial segregation in South Africa , enforced by the government from 1948 until 1994 . These men and women were anti-apartheid activists who stood up against injustice . They did this through non-violent protest actions such as sit-ins at white owned businesses or refusing to pay taxes on their income.