Flag of South Africa

"My mind started wandering and then it struck me: Aren't we looking for convergence and unification? ... I was struck by the extent it resonated with what Mandela had in mind. "Yes, it might work!" I thought... I think one must realist that red, white and blue or orange white and blue harked back to South Africa's colonial heritage... Public reaction was muted, originally, but once Mandela was inaugurated on 10 May, with the flags draped over Union Buildings in Pretoria, people warmed to the fact they had a new president, with a new flag to go with him... The level of acceptance exceeded my wildest expectations... I grew up in the Anglican church and this particular design was in fact incorporated into the classical chasubles worn by priests in both the Catholic and Anglican church... I feel happy to have contributed in some small way."

"As South Africans daily work to build a better society, they are surrounded in many forms and countless manifestations by a flag which recognises and celebrates the unity and diversity of the country's people... Few would have imagined, almost a decade ago, that this collection of colourful shapes could become such a potent symbol of unity and progress. But then fewer still would have thought that a country torn apart by decades of racial oppression could transform itself into a beacon of democracy and hope."