682. South Africa: Mandela and the Death of Apartheid (Part 6)

In the sixth installment of their series on South Africa, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook examine the final collapse of Apartheid and Nelson Mandela’s presidency. The episode focuses on two powerful symbols of the new South Africa: the 1995 Rugby World Cup final, where Mandela’s embrace of the Springboks captivated the nation, and the creation of a unified national anthem blending ‘Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika’ and ‘Die Stem’. The hosts argue that Mandela deliberately used these shared cultural moments to forge a multiracial identity and ease the transition.