30 years ago, Nelson Mandela became the first black president of South Africa

(AFP) - Exactly 30 years ago, on May 10th, 1994, Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as president of South Africa, following the end of apartheid.

His party, the ANC, was widely credited with liberating the country's Black majority from the racist system of oppression that made South Africa a pariah for nearly half a century.