What were Apartheids?
Apartheids were enforced systems of racial segregation and discrimination imposed by the South African government (which at the time was under the rule of minorities, or white males in Africa) from 1948 to 1994. This system had a strongly negative effect on people for a variety of reasons, some of the most primary being the complete lack of opportunities, social segregation, and limited representation.
How did South Africans respond?
Despite its oppressive nature, the majority population responded with resilience, boldness, and a lot of pushbacks. People went from protesting, to nullifying the policies, to starting boycotts, to even engaging in underground movements that would eventually resist the Apartheid policies and bring change. While many of the non-violent resistance methods were advocated for by figures such as Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, these methods were met with violent and sometimes armed suppressions. Many economic sanctions led the government into a corner where its only choice was to negotiate, and this ended the Apartheid Era and freed Mandela in 1990.