South Africa is located in the southern part of the African continent and it has been one of the most progressive nations in Africa. The early settlers made this region in the 14th century known as Bantu people who had come from central Africa. The Portuguese arrived at the Cape of Good Hope in 1488 and then the permanent settlements came into being in 1652, when the Dutch East India Company setup its small station for supplies in the area on the Cape. This region became popular for the Europeans like the French, Dutch and the Germans. By the end of the 18th century the British managed to have a strong hold over the entire region. In order to escape the British rule in 1800, the native farmers known as Boers started migrating to the north and in 1852-1854 these natives created the Independent Republics of The Transvaal and the Orange Free State. More visitors started coming because diamonds and gold was discovered in the late 1800 and this led to the Anglo Boer Wars, in which the British won and it became a part of the British Empire. On May 1910 the two states and Britain made the Union of South Africa, which was an autonomous area under the British. In 1912 the South African Native National Congress – ANC came into being with an aim to provide more freedom to the blacks. The ANC won the elections in 1948 and passed a law that enforced a policy of racial severance and it was known as apartheid. In 1960 the ANC was expelled and their leaders Nelson Mandela along other black leaders were convicted of treachery and faced imprisonment. South Africa became a republic in 1961; after it had withdrew from the British Commonwealth because of the wide spread international protest against the apartheid. In 1984 the constitution came into being and by Feb 1990, SA president F.W. de Klerk, unbanned the ANC Party and after many years of protest Nelson Mandela was set free. After 4 years on 10th May1994, Nelson Mandela was elected as the First Black President of South Africa and many reforms were introduced by him to strengthen the economic growth of the country.