Cuba had a large role in ending South African Apartheid. In this picture, Nelson Mandela and former Cuba leader Fidel Castro have a meeting. The two leaders have been friends for a long time, ever since Cuba stepped in to help eliminate apartheid. In 1988 in Angola, The Cubans brought thousands of troops to fight against the invading South African army. The Cubans defeated the South African army and in turn gave Namibia it's independence and ended South Africa's apartheid.