Who was the anti-apartheid leader who became South Africa's first democratically elected president?

Who was the anti-apartheid leader who became South Africa's first democratically elected president?

• A. Desmond Tutu
• B. Nelson Mandela
• C. Oliver Tambo
• D. Walter Sisulu

Answer: (B)

Recognize the figure who helped end apartheid and became South Africa’s first democratically elected president. Nelson Mandela embodies that arc: a longtime anti-apartheid activist and leader of the African National Congress, he spent decades in prison for his resistance. After his release in 1990, he helped broker the transition away from apartheid and oversaw multiracial elections in 1994, which brought him to the presidency. His leadership focused on reconciliation, national unity, and building a democratic, nonracial South Africa. Desmond Tutu is a renowned anti-apartheid voice and moral leader who chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, but he was not president. Oliver Tambo led the ANC in exile and kept the movement alive during years of suppression, yet he did not serve as president. Walter Sisulu was a key ANC organizer and mentor to Mandela, contributing greatly to the struggle, but he did not become president.

Recognize the figure who helped end apartheid and became South Africa’s first democratically elected president. Nelson Mandela embodies that arc: a longtime anti-apartheid activist and leader of the African National Congress, he spent decades in prison for his resistance. After his release in 1990, he helped broker the transition away from apartheid and oversaw multiracial elections in 1994, which brought him to the presidency. His leadership focused on reconciliation, national unity, and building a democratic, nonracial South Africa.

Desmond Tutu is a renowned anti-apartheid voice and moral leader who chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, but he was not president. Oliver Tambo led the ANC in exile and kept the movement alive during years of suppression, yet he did not serve as president. Walter Sisulu was a key ANC organizer and mentor to Mandela, contributing greatly to the struggle, but he did not become president.