But those golden years of the new South Africa were not without pain.

The Truth and Reconciliation Committee laid bare some gruesome facts. And as not all the atrocities were laid at the door of the Apartheid regime, this made for uncomfortable reading for the ANC.

Mandela may have been forgiving of criticism.

But others were not.

Mandela’s romance with Graca Machel following his acrimonious divorce from Winnie was an easy subject for some lightheartedness.

And politics being politics, Mandela’s image was difficult to keep squeaky clean.

“St Rolihlahla the Righteous. ‘Its nothing serious, just the occasional slipped halo’. That was Jakes Gerwel but it could have been anyone. And they are trying to get the halo back with the giant crane. And there is an ironic use of the saint because he’s doing something where his saintliness is showing a few cracks.” Said Zapiro.

Inevitably, the five years of his presidency passed by almost too quickly… and at the end of his first term Mandela, just as he had promised, stood down.

It was a sad moment for a nation that had fallen in love with a living example of what is possible, if only we dare to dream.

“As he’s got older and been sanctified which he’s begged people not to do, people almost treat him like this sweet old grandpa now, not understanding what an amazing political intervention that was, that in the space of a very few years changed South Africa from the most intractable political problem in the world, to, for a time, the poster child of democracy. Now, we have become normal so we have plenty of problems and what we need is the new generation of Mandela’s and that’s who we are looking for” Said Shaun Johnson.

That search has been made more difficult by South Africa’s struggle to improve education. But there are signs of hope as a new generation takes up the challenge.

Marie Murray, Choreographer, said, “The youth are very important. They are the next us. I‘m hoping that some of these learners will do what we do one day. Whether it’s about water or whatever. Any kind of awareness campaign. I hope they can do this. So they’re important because we need them to lead us one day and when we’re old and grey we’ll need good leaders.”

“I think he’s done such amazing work. He’s such a peace icon and such a strength icon. He’s one of the few people I think as the new generations come along, kids and that type of thing, he’s someone who everyone should learn about. Just the way he is. He’s compassionate, he’s kind, he’s caring and he’s genuine. So I think what he has done with children has been awesome, what he has done with everyone has been awesome.”

Zapiro has chronicled the years of becoming normal, too. That hasn’t always been comfortable.

Problems with Aids, education, health, corruption, and tardy service delivery have plagued the ANC leadership.

“Here in the Centenary year of the ANC, we are seeing political turmoil, we see people struggling to recoup past glory, I’ve done cartoons where I’ve shown the past and obviously the contrast with the present and the future and Madiba represents the best of what we can be and the best of the struggle and the embodiment of that struggle. So the cartoons, when I look at what I have produced in the last few years, its bleak”

"The end of the book, this bit here is…. You see this bunch of cartoons that I have done since the end of the book are… scary for me to look at… There are some nice ones when we celebrate special occasions but this one, but there are many of them that are searing and tough. This was the twentieth anniversary of his walking out of prison. 1990 and as he walks out of prison, looking towards 2010. ‘On second thoughts’. And just imagine. Myself. To think that I could imagine that scenario just as an hyperbole. But the idea that he would say wait a minute I’m not sure that I want to go out there given that there are greed, corruption, sex scandals. What has happened?"

They may be painful but many of the ills of South Africa today may be considered rights of passage to a more “normal” nationhood.

And there remains plenty of hope, plenty to be optimistic about. Not least of all is the many young Mandela’s waiting in the wings.

Nelson Mandela stood down as president in 1999.

But he didn't stop working.