Ethiopia and South Africa formally established their diplomatic ties in 1994. Their relations, however, date back to the days of the Anti-Apartheid movement and the history of Nelson Mandela, who visited Ethiopia first as a young freedom fighter. The young South African, who was identified as David Motsamayi on his Ethiopian passport, received military training at the Kolfe Military Centre in 1962. He was arrested shortly after he left Ethiopia for South Africa and served 27 years in prison. Former President Nelson Mandela visited Ethiopia five months after his release from Robben Island prison, and became his country’s first black and democratically elected president in 1994 – the same year the two countries formally established diplomatic relations. Ethiopia has a rich political history and along with South Africa, is a founding member of the United Nations. Ethiopia is also one of founding African states of the African Union (AU) which came into existence on 25 May 1963 under Emperor Haile Selassie, headquartered in Addis Ababa.