Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Join this channel to get early access to episodes, ad-free watching, and priority access to our live events:
youtube.com/channel/UCUYK0BJZF3yNb2fw1EdAXUQ/join
Our whole series on national anthems is available here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEbAHi3fZpuGnGEZLkDJVCcz_1TbATUGI
South African episode: youtu.be/ZWQd5dAI0p4
Brazilian episode: youtu.be/YJK5AxwCsd4
Dutch episode: youtu.be/ewKeiDlvPxw
Getman episode: youtu.be/wCsIHXZ02qI
British episode: youtu.be/b2UUG9GmBds
American episode: youtu.be/E9jcZOY4iqc
How did the rugby World Cup final of 1995 inspire South Africa’s totemic national anthem? Why does the story shed a light on the history of Apartheid in South Africa? And, after becoming president, following years of imprisonment, how did Mandela use rugby and the national anthem to forge a new South Africa?
Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss the inspiring story behind South Africa’s national anthem, the collapse of Apartheid, and Nelson Mandela’s presidency.
Lloyds. 250 years on and still backing the nation's aspirations.
0:00 South Africa After Apartheid
0:47 Lloyds
3:14 The 1995 Rugby World Cup Final
7:12 Rugby, Afrikaner Identity and Apartheid
14:21 The Collapse of White Rule
17:16 Nelson Mandela: From Prisoner to President
20:57 Mandela’s Plan to Use Rugby for Reconciliation
26:17 Persuading Black South Africans to Support the Springboks
27:21 Did the All Blacks Get Food Poisoning?
28:49 Mandela Wears the Springbok Shirt
30:06 The Crowd Chants Mandela’s Name
31:48 The Symbolic Power of the National Anthem
33:59 Lloyds
35:14 The Origins of Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika
41:20 How the Song Became the ANC’s Anthem
45:12 South Africa’s Rival National Anthems
46:41 Mandela Refuses to Erase the Apartheid Anthem
49:07 Preparing the Springboks to Sing Together
52:38 “We Had 43 Million South Africans”
53:07 How Two Rival Songs Became One Anthem
57:29 Why South Africa’s Anthem Is So Powerful
58:25 Rediscovering Enoch Sontonga’s Lost Grave
1:00:51 Coming Next: The Founding Fathers
Twitter:
@TheRestHistory
@holland_tom
@dcsandbrook
Social channels:
instagram.com/theresthistory
tiktok.com/@theresthistory
https://x.com/TheRestHistory
https://bsky.app/profile/theresthistory.bsky.social
threads.com/@theresthistory
Video Editor: Jack Meek, Harry Swan & Adam Thornton
Social Producer: Harry Balden
Producers: Aaliyah Akude & Tabby Syrett
Senior Producer: Callum Hill
Executive Producer: Dom Johnson
Head of Digital & Social: Sam Oakley
Join this channel to get early access to episodes, ad-free watching, and priority access to our live events:
youtube.com/channel/UCUYK0BJZF3yNb2fw1EdAXUQ/join
Our whole series on national anthems is available here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEbAHi3fZpuGnGEZLkDJVCcz_1TbATUGI
South African episode: youtu.be/ZWQd5dAI0p4
Brazilian episode: youtu.be/YJK5AxwCsd4
Dutch episode: youtu.be/ewKeiDlvPxw
Getman episode: youtu.be/wCsIHXZ02qI
British episode: youtu.be/b2UUG9GmBds
American episode: youtu.be/E9jcZOY4iqc
How did the rugby World Cup final of 1995 inspire South Africa’s totemic national anthem? Why does the story shed a light on the history of Apartheid in South Africa? And, after becoming president, following years of imprisonment, how did Mandela use rugby and the national anthem to forge a new South Africa?
Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss the inspiring story behind South Africa’s national anthem, the collapse of Apartheid, and Nelson Mandela’s presidency.
Lloyds. 250 years on and still backing the nation's aspirations.
0:00 South Africa After Apartheid
0:47 Lloyds
3:14 The 1995 Rugby World Cup Final
7:12 Rugby, Afrikaner Identity and Apartheid
14:21 The Collapse of White Rule
17:16 Nelson Mandela: From Prisoner to President
20:57 Mandela’s Plan to Use Rugby for Reconciliation
26:17 Persuading Black South Africans to Support the Springboks
27:21 Did the All Blacks Get Food Poisoning?
28:49 Mandela Wears the Springbok Shirt
30:06 The Crowd Chants Mandela’s Name
31:48 The Symbolic Power of the National Anthem
33:59 Lloyds
35:14 The Origins of Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika
41:20 How the Song Became the ANC’s Anthem
45:12 South Africa’s Rival National Anthems
46:41 Mandela Refuses to Erase the Apartheid Anthem
49:07 Preparing the Springboks to Sing Together
52:38 “We Had 43 Million South Africans”
53:07 How Two Rival Songs Became One Anthem
57:29 Why South Africa’s Anthem Is So Powerful
58:25 Rediscovering Enoch Sontonga’s Lost Grave
1:00:51 Coming Next: The Founding Fathers
Twitter:
@TheRestHistory
@holland_tom
@dcsandbrook
Social channels:
instagram.com/theresthistory
tiktok.com/@theresthistory
https://x.com/TheRestHistory
https://bsky.app/profile/theresthistory.bsky.social
threads.com/@theresthistory
Video Editor: Jack Meek, Harry Swan & Adam Thornton
Social Producer: Harry Balden
Producers: Aaliyah Akude & Tabby Syrett
Senior Producer: Callum Hill
Executive Producer: Dom Johnson
Head of Digital & Social: Sam Oakley
