Nelson Mandela's 1990 release marked in South Africa [video 1 min 18 secs]
In Cape Town, prominent figures took part in a commemorative walk at the prison where he spent the final months of his 27-year imprisonment.
Mr Mandela, 91, was cheered when he came to parliament to hear a speech by current President Jacob Zuma.
Mr Zuma said South Africa continued to follow its first black leader's vision.
Mr Mandela spent most of his sentence in Robben Island prison, off the coast of Cape Town, and later in Pollsmoor Prison on the mainland.
Before his release, he lived in a cottage in the grounds of Victor Verster prison in a rural area some 50km (31 miles) from Cape Town, with his own cook.
Read entire article at BBC
Mr Mandela, 91, was cheered when he came to parliament to hear a speech by current President Jacob Zuma.
Mr Zuma said South Africa continued to follow its first black leader's vision.
Mr Mandela spent most of his sentence in Robben Island prison, off the coast of Cape Town, and later in Pollsmoor Prison on the mainland.
Before his release, he lived in a cottage in the grounds of Victor Verster prison in a rural area some 50km (31 miles) from Cape Town, with his own cook.