March to freedom
Even in prison, Mandela remained a powerful figure in the anti-apartheid movement. As time went on there was growing international support for his release. The president of South Africa at the time, P.W. Botha, offered Mandela freedom several times in exchange for stopping the fight against apartheid. Mandela refused each time. In 1989, F.W. de Klerk became president of South Africa. De Klerk was also against apartheid. On 11 February, 1990, Mandela was released. He said, “Our struggle has reached a decisive moment... Our march to freedom is irreversible. We must not allow fear to stand in our way.”