Correct Answer:
A. Nelson Mandela
South Africa's transition from apartheid to a democratic nation culminated in a historic election. Nelson Mandela was a revered anti-apartheid revolutionary who spent 27 years in prison for his activism. Upon his release, he played a crucial role in negotiating the end of apartheid and subsequently became South Africa's first democratically elected president in 1994, serving until 1999. He was also the country's first black head of state, making option A correct. Desmond Tutu (B) was a prominent anti-apartheid cleric and Nobel laureate, but never president. Thabo Mbeki (C) was Mandela's successor, becoming the second post-apartheid president, while Jacob Zuma (D) served as the fourth.