The pivotal event that indicated the beginning of the end of apartheid in South Africa was the nationwide protests and subsequent unbanning of the African National Congress (ANC) in 1990. The protests, which grew in intensity throughout the 1980s, highlighted widespread discontent with racial segregation and discrimination. In February 1990, Nelson Mandela was released from prison after 27 years of incarceration. This moment symbolized hope and change, leading to negotiations between the government and anti-apartheid movements. Eventually, these negotiations culminated in the first multiracial elections in 1994, where Mandela was elected president, marking a definitive end to apartheid.