Overview
Before being elected president, Nelson Mandela was the co-founder of the Umkhonto we Sizwe, or the "spear of the nation". This movement was the armed division of the ANC, however since this group was a violent group, they were forced to cut all formal ties to the ANC. Mandela was sentenced to life in prison following the Rivonia Trials. In 1989, President F. W. de Klerk lifted the ban on the ANC, Mandela was released in 1990 and four years later was elected president of a free South Africa. His political party, the African National Congress, has won every election since. In the post-Mandela era however, the governance of the ANC and the presidents of South Africa have declined in popularity due to corruption scandals and economic stagnation. Mandela's follower, Thabo Mbeki was a freedom fighter like Mandela, however his presidency was darkened with allegations of corruption and the refusal to believe that HIV led to AIDS. One concerning issue in South African politics is how one-sided they are. This popularity is declining, largely due to the near 50% unemployment of the youth in South Africa. The popularity dropped from near 70% in the 2004 election to around 62% in the 2014 election. However, the popularity of the ANC has never dropped below 60% in any election. The current president is Jacob Zuma, who was elected in May of 2009. Jacob Zuma's presidency is similarly filled with questions of corruption and bribery.-Mitchell Jubeir(and Nicholas Polansky for some of it)