Madagascar–South Africa relations fight against apartheid. Radio Freedom was operated by South African freedom fighters in Madagascar between 1979 and 1993. In June 1991, apartheid legislation was repealed in South Africa and Nelson Mandela was elected President in May 1994. That same year, Madagascar and South Africa officially established diplomatic relations. During the 2009 Malagasy political crisis, Malagasy President Marc Ravalomanana fled to South Africa where he remained in exile for the next 5 years. In August 2012, South African President Jacob Zuma traveled to the Seychelles to assist in brokering a deal between Madagascar's President Andry Rajoelina and Marc Ravalomanana. In January
South Africa languages are of European origin: Afrikaans developed from Dutch and serves as the first language of most coloured and white South Africans; English reflects the legacy of British colonialism, and is commonly used in public and commercial life, though it is fourth-ranked as a spoken first language. The country is one of the few in Africa never to have had a coup d'état, and regular elections have been held for almost a century. However, the vast majority of black South Africans were not enfranchised until 1994. During the 20th century, the black majority sought to recover its rights from the