Answer:
The late former President Nelson Mandela, represented a leader acceptable to almost all groups in society and he was deeply respected across racial and class boundaries. In this regard, President Mandela was himself a key part of the new national building process.
By 1996, the foundations on which to build a new nation were in place and apartheid laws had been repealed.
South Africa had a firmly established national territory, a new Constitution and new national symbols, including a flag, a national anthem and a coat of arms, all of which played a key role in the creation of an overarching national identity.
In a country that values its diversity, these symbols play a stronger role in forging an overarching national identity than in a country with a single cultural, religious or ethnic identity.