The liberation struggle for South Africa from the clutches of apartheid was long and costly. On April 27 1994, black South Africans got their first taste of the freedom that was long fought for as 19.7 million citizens cast their votes in the first national democratic elections.
The election was won by the ANC with 62.65% of the vote.
The National Party received 20.39%, IFP 10.54%, Freedom Front 2.2%, Democratic Party 1.7%, Pan Africanist Congress 1.2%, and the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) 0.5%.
Here are top quotes from the country’s leaders and political figures over the years on what freedom for the country means and the struggles are still faced today: