History

The first European explorers, mainly Portuguese, arrived in South Africa in the fifteenth century. Diogo Cao reached the South African coast in 1485 and in 1488 was the turn of Bartolomeu Dias.
The history of the country, itself, begins in the seventeenth century with the permanent occupation of the region of the Cape of Good Hope by the Dutch. In 1909, the union of British colonies of Cape, Natal, Transvaal and Orange River originates from the nation of South Africa
From 1948 to 1993/1994, the political and social structure is based on apartheid, the legalized system of racial discrimination remained the domain of the white minority in the political, economic and social development.
In 1983, it adopted a new constitution that guarantees political rights limited to Asian minorities, but continues to exclude blacks from the exercise of political rights and civil rights. The black majority, therefore, not entitled to vote or representation in parliament. The white ruling party during the apartheid era, is the National Party as the major black political organization is the African National Congress (ANC), which for almost fifty years was illegal. Later, in 1990, under the leadership of President F. W. de Klerk, the South African government begins to dismantle the Apartheid system, freeing Nelson Mandela, leader of the ANC, and accepting legalize this organization, as well as other anti-apartheid.
The next steps towards national unity are given in 1991. The opening of negotiations between representatives of all communities, in order to develop a democratic constitution, marking the end of an era in South Africa.
In 1993, the government and opposition agree on the black mechanisms to ensure the transition to a political system without discrimination. A committee executive broker with the black majority, to oversee the first multiparty and multiracial, and is created also a body in charge of drawing up a constitution that guarantees the end of apartheid.
In April 1994 they are multiracial elections for the new Parliament. The ANC won the elections and Nelson Mandela, forming a government of national unity, becomes the first President of South African black. In 2004, when Thabo Mbeki was five years ago as successor to Nelson Mandela, President of the Republic of South Africa promised to end all the violence of a political nature that may still exist in the country.