Prior to 1994 South Africa was a wonderful country, despite all the political uncertainty it was facing at the time. Its peaceful transition to a fully representative democracy on 10th May of that year demonstrated to the whole world that it could be done. It certainly held the promise of better things to come. South Africa became known around the world as the rainbow nation. The fact that it used to be the world's largest producer of gold gave added meaning to the urban legend which states that there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Twenty-one years have now passed since that eventful day. The nation has come of age. Therefore this will be an appropriate time to evaluate its progress, assess its current state and comment on its standing in the world. ( )