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South Africa (1928-1994)

Flag of 1928-1994

Following the Union of South Africa , that is the joining of the former colonies of Natal, Cape, Transvaal and Orange River on 31 May 1910, South Africa used defaced red and blue ensigns. Having suffered defeat in the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902), many South Africans particularly of Boer extraction found these flags unacceptable. Discussions about a new flag had taken place from time to time but were interrupted by such pressing issues as World War I and achieving Dominion Status within the British Empire etc. and it was only in 1925 that the matter began to receive renewed attention. The Balfour Declaration adopted at the Imperial Conference of 1926 defined in general terms the mutual constitutional relationship of the self-governing members of the British Empire (later Commonwealth) whereby Great Britain and the dominions were "equal in status, in no way subordinate to one another" and as such South Africa, as an independent state was entitled to a flag of its own. The flag issue in South Africa was also considered along with the question of nationality.

The issue of inclusion of the Union Jack proved to be a very emotional subject, with the English-speakers on the one side demanding its inclusion and the Afrikaners (Boers) seeing its a symbol of British imperialism demanding it be excluded! A number of proposals were put forward but it was not until the Prinzenvlag design based on the House of Orange that consensus began to emerge. This design was based on the commonly held view that Jan van Riebeeck has raised an orange, white and blue horizontal tricolour when he arrived at the Cape in April 1652. The original design had a quartered shield in the centre, each quarter having a symbol to represent the territories making up the Union. Various other designs were submitted to a Parliamentary Committee which had been established to resolve the issue but none found favour.

The compromise design eventually adopted saw the flag of the Republic of the Orange Free State hanging vertically in the centre of the white stripe of the Prinzenvlag with the Union Jack spread horizontally towards the hoist from the centre and the flag of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (Transvaal) spread towards the fly. In terms of the Union Nationality and Flags Act of 1927 South Africa had two flags, namely the Union Jack to denote association with the British Commonwealth of Nations and a national flag described as being:
"Three horizontal stripes of equal width from top to bottom, orange, white, blue; in the centre of the white stripe the old Orange Free State Flag hanging vertically, spread in full, with the Union Jack adjoining horizontally, spread in full, towards the pole, and the old Transvaal Vierkleur adjoining horizontally spread in full away from the pole, equidistant from the margins of the white stripe. The flags shall be of the same size and their shape shall be proportionally the same as the National Flag and the width of each equal to one-third of the width of the white stripe". This Act came into force on 31 May 1928 when both the new national flag and the Union Jack were hoisted together for the first time at simultaneous ceremonies at the Houses of Parliament in Cape Town and at the Union Buildings in Pretoria. The flags first hoisted at Parliament are now on display in the Old Assembly chamber.

The dual flag arrangement continued until 06 April 1957 when the Government brought it to an end with the Flags Amendment Act. This Act also provided for the sole national anthem of South Africa to be Die Stem van Suid-Afrika/The Call of South Africa without "God Save the Queen" despite Queen Elizabeth II still being head of state. South Africa withdrew from the British Commonwealth of Nations and became a republic on 31 May 1961. No changes were made to the national flag or anthem.

The flag, commonly known as the oranje-blanje-blou (orange, white and blue) continued to fly until it was replaced on 27 April 1994 by the flag representing a democratic South Africa.
Bruce Berry, 01 Feb 1998

What are the colour specifications of the former (1928-1994) South African flag in (BS) RGB values?
NB: Blue was BCC 150 Lapis Lazuli in the British Colour Council's "Dictionary of Color Standards".
Mark Sensen, 15 Jun 2002

The only colour specifications I could find for the old SA flag in the old British Standard Colour Classifications are:

Orange: BBC 57
Blue: BBC 218
Green: BBC 24
Red: BBC 210

Bruce Berry, 03 Jul 2002

Regarding the shade of blue on the former South African flag, the blue stripe was originally described as being "solway" blue but over the years, as can be expected given that South African flags originally came from the UK, the blue stripe changed to the darker "Union Jack blue" until the blue stripe became almost black. This prompted a return to the lighter "solway blue" shade following a Government investigation into the matter in 1982.

Speaking to flag manufacturers on this matter yesterday, all agreed that they used the same shade of blue for the blue stripe and in the Union Jack and Vierkleur flags in the centre of the flag as well.

The other shades in the flag were described as "Spectrum orange", "Green Beetle" and "Union Jack red" with the BCC classifications as indicated above.
Bruce Berry, 06 Dec 2005

Research into the controversy surrounding what flag was used by Jan van Riebeeck when he started his replenishment station in Table Bay on 6 April 1652 reveals the following as outlined in my forthcoming book on SA flags:

"Van Riebeeck makes no mention in his Journal that he hoisted a flag, but it is assumed that he did. There is considerable controversy as to which flag Van Riebeeck might have hoisted. The flag generally used by Dutch vessels at, or before that time was in the colours of the House of Orange in honour of the Prince of Orange, the Stadtholder of the Netherlands. It was the orange, white and blue horizontal tricolour or Prinzenvlag. It was originally used by the so-called Watergeuse or Waterbeggars at sea during their struggle against the Spanish during the Eighty-Year's War and by the end of the war it was firmly established as the national flag of the Netherlands Republic. It is considered that the flag had its origins with the flag of the Province of Zealand which was red, white and blue horizontally. The red was then replaced by orange in honour of William the Silent, Prince of Orange and its first appearance as this Prinzenvlag occurred circa 1572.

Later, towards the middle of the next century, the orange was again replaced by red. The reason for the change of the orange colour to red is not known with certainty, but some authorities ascribe it to the fact that the orange coloured dye was not easy to make and did not remain colour-fast.

Van der Laars, an authority on the flags of the Netherlands, states that from about 1648 and certainly by 1663, the orange had changed to red, and the orange, white and blue tricolour was replaced by the red, white and blue tricolour of today. The point in dispute is whether it was already red at the time of Van Riebeeck's arrival, or still orange. According to Van der Laars, it is likely that it was still the orange version.

Gerard in Flags over South Africa (1952) [ger52], however, makes out a good case that it was already red. He quotes sources, which indicates that most of the bunting used by the Dutch at that period came from India. Proof of this exists in the archives of Zealand (7.11.1630), which records the delivery of six rolls of bunting, red, white and blue. An advertisement in the Navorsher of 1634 mentions ten rolls of bunting, red, white and blue and in 1653 there is mention of many bales of sater - Indian cotton, dyed red, white and blue. The Indian dyers used kurkuma (turmeric) to which they added kav - a reddish rocky material - in order to obtain the orange colour used to dye the khadi-material (loosely hand-woven cotton cloth which we call bunting) to orange. This kav-stone was ground into a fine dust and then mixed with oil, water and turmeric wherein the khadi-cloth was then soaked. In order to obtain a rich orange colour, more kav and less turmeric was used by the Indian dyers and in time the orange changed to a flame red colour. *

Gerard also states that in many of the paintings of the Thirty Year's War (1618 - 1648), the ensigns of the Netherlands are clearly already indicated as red, white and blue. He further states that it is therefore clear that when Jan van Riebeeck arrived at the Cape he did so with flags which were already using flame red instead of orange. Dr Pama in his book Lions and Virgins (1965) [pam65] produces evidence that on 14 August 1654 Jan van Reinbeck ordered rolls of red, white and blue bunting from Batavia in order to make flags for the fort and ships at the Cape. This seems to confirm Gerard's view. However, Pama also found an instruction by Van Riebeeck dated 22 August 1653 to the garrison and visiting ships that on the sighting of approaching vessels, the Princevlag (his spelling) must be hoisted over the Fort and the same must be done by the approaching vessels. This was obviously meant as a recognition signal during the time of the First Anglo-Dutch War. Pama explains this contradiction with the view that there was at that time not a great deal of importance attached to whether the upper bar was orange or red, with red probably only regarded as a discolouring of orange. The red took on political importance only during the decades of struggle for power between the States-General of the Netherlands and the Princes of Orange which ended with the confirmation in power of William III in 1672 as Stadtholder and Captain-General of the Dutch forces. The instruction for the signal was arrived at in consultation with Captain Douwe Aukes, captain of the Phenix who was strongly in favour of the orange bar in the flag. The year before he had been in command of another East Indiaman Struisvogel and participated with her in the encounter between the hostile English and Dutch fleets off Plymouth in 1652. It was during this naval battle that the colour of the flag had become a political question and the Dutch sailors refused to fight under any other flag than the orange-white-and blue. The reason for the politicising of the flag was the refusal of the States-General to appoint a member of the House of Orange as head of the government and expressed its enmity by changing the orange to red in the national flag. This decision was strongly resented by the people, especially the sailors. He also quotes the Dutch historian J.C. de Jonge who in his authoritative work on the maritime history of the Netherlands writes as follows: "At least until October 1653 the old Princevlag was still in use by the Netherlands navy" and he shows that between 1653 and 1660 the States-General's red-white-blue flag was generally introduced because of the enmity between the States and the House of Orange. Pama's opinion is that when Van Riebeeck ordered the red bunting he was simply conforming to his superiors instructions and following their declared policy for changing the orange to red".

I am of the opinion that no matter whether it was red or orange, Jan van Riebeeck probably used the VOC flag over the fort. He was after all a servant of the Dutch East Indies Company and not of the States-General. What is certain is that the Dutch tricolour was most definitely already red, white and blue fully a century before the First British Occupation of the Cape.
Andries Burgers, 02 June 2005

* Gerard claims that he obtained this information from Professor P.K. Gode, curator of the Bhandakar Oriental Research Institute in Poona, India. He unfortunately does not provide his other sources or dates.

This was interesting to read. One conclusion could be, that it is not possible to set a date for the change of orange into red of the Dutch flag, because it was made during a span of time. Is that right?

If the change would have been made by some decision, who would have decided on this? The States General, the Stadholder or someone else?
Elias Granqvist, 06 June 2005

Pending evidence to the contrary, this is (given the so far available data) the only conclusion possible. None the less, we now have a definitive date from which we may say that the change was "documented", and visual proof (upon which we can place reasonable reliance) that the change had become officially recognized by 1665.
Christopher Southworth, 06 June 2005

Current status regarding the display of the flag in South Africa

South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal upheld a ruling that the “gratuitous” public display of the country’s old apartheid-era flag amounts to hate speech and racial discrimination and can be prosecuted reports Associated Press (21 April 2023).

The Supreme Court didn’t, however, give a ruling on whether displaying the national flag from South Africa’s era of brutal racial segregation in the privacy of a home should also be considered hate speech or discriminatory.

Arguments over that specific matter should first be presented to the lower court that initially banned the flag in 2019, the Supreme Court said. The decision on the public showing of the old flag, which was South Africa’s national flag from 1928 until it was abolished when the country achieved democracy in 1994, upheld that ruling given by the Equality Court four years ago.

Afriforum, a lobby group that says it represents the interests of South Africa’s white Afrikaans people, challenged the banning of the flag in the Supreme Court, saying such a “wide-reaching ban” was an infringement of the right to freedom of expression.

But in its ruling, the Supreme Court said that “those who publicly hold up or wave the old flag convey a brazen, destructive message that they celebrate and long for the racism of our past.”

The fate of the orange, white and blue flag has been a highly charged issue in South Africa, particularly for the country’s Black majority, many of whom view it as an overt symbol of the institutionalized racism and brutality of the apartheid regime.

The apartheid system officially came into being in 1948 and was formally dismantled when Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s first democratically elected president in 1994, when Blacks were allowed to vote for the first time. South Africa adopted its current flag at the time of those first all-race elections.

For some South Africans, the apartheid-era flag has similar connotations to the swastika flag of Nazi Germany.

Arguing in support of the ban, the South African Human Rights Commission referred to the case of Dylann Roof, the white man convicted and sentenced to death for the 2015 racist killings of nine Black church members in Charleston, South Carolina, as an example of how the apartheid-era flag retained clear connections to violent white supremacists.

Roof once appeared in a photograph wearing a jacket with the flag on it
Gerald Imray (Associated Press), 21 April 2023

The South African Flag Controversy (1927)

The Afrikaners - Boere; Voortrekkers; or South African Dutch (according to the English) - in spite of being a mixture of Dutch, French, German and quite a few other nationalities, including Khoi, cherished their Dutch connections for most of the nineteenth century during their increasingly bitter struggles against British imperialism. There is still in Afrikaans today a saying: "Die Kaap is weer Hollands" ("The Cape is Dutch again") meaning everything is all right again. This came about when the Cape was returned to the Batavian Republic at the Peace of Amiens in 1803. Three years later the British were back again for the next 160 years. After the turmoil of the Great Trek when the Voortrekkers left the Cape Colony for the interior, they established the Republic of Natalia and not surprisingly chose the red, white and blue of the old Dutch "Driekleur" (three colour), but with the white an inverted pile, as their flag. This republic did not last long as in 1843 it was annexed by the British who could not stand the thought of British subjects simply trekking away from their allegiance, however unwilling, to the crown.

In the 1850's the British suffered a bout of anti-colonialism and abandoned the countries to the north of the Orange River to their fate. In 1854, the Boere in the Trans-Oranje, established the Republic of the Orange Free State (Oranje Vrijstaat). On the day of independence they hoisted the Driekleur for lack of their own flag. This flag they called the Bataafsche Vlag in memory of the Batavian Republic, they having of course no experience with the Dutch Kingdom established in 1816. The first president, Josias Hoffman, then wrote to a friend of the Voortrekkers in Holland asking him to approach King Willem III for the grant of a flag and a coat of arms for the new republic. This must be a unique event in the history of both vexillology and heraldry - a republic asking a monarch to grant a flag and arms? The upshot of all this was the old Orange Free State flag with the Driekleur in the canton and the three orange and four white bars.

The Transvalers took a while longer to find unity and establish an organised state, but in 1856 they finally adopted a constitution and a flag. The committee who decided on the design of the Transvaal Vierkleur (four colour) was advised by the Reverend Dirk van der Hoff, his brother Marthinus and Jacobus Stuart, all born Hollanders. The result was the Driekleur (three colour) with a vertical green bar added along the hoist. The continued attachment of the Boere to the old Driekleur and their Dutch heritage comes out clearly in the flag designs which they adopted for these three republics.

After the Anglo Boer South African War (1899-1902) and the formation of the Union of South Africa in 1910, the British Union Jack became the national flag of the united South Africa. The Red and Blue ensigns with the Union coat of arms in the fly, were granted by British Admiralty warrants in 1910 (amended in 1912) for use at sea as was the case all over the British Empire. They were not intended as national flags for the Union although some people used them as such (especially the Red Ensign). It was only in 1925, after the first post-Union Afrikaner government took office, that a Bill was introduced in parliament to make provision for a national flag for the Union of South Africa. This action immediately led to some three years of civil strife and near civil war. The British thought that the Boere wanted to do away with their cherished Imperial symbols. The province of Natal even threatened to secede from the Union. A compromise was finally reached which resulted in the adoption of a flag for the Union late in 1927 and which was first hoisted on 31 May 1928. This was based on the so-called Van Riebeeck flag, which was in reality the old Princevlag, of orange, white and blue horizontal stripes with three smaller flags centred in the white stripe. These 'flaglets' were the British Union Jack towards the hoist, the Orange Free State Vierkleur hanging vertically and the Transvaal Vierkleur towards the fly. The choice of the Prinzenvlag as the basis of the new flag had more to do with finding an acceptable compromise (the Prinzenvlag supposedly being the first flag hoisted on South African soil - although this is not at all certain - and being a neutral design as it was no longer a current national flag) than having anything to do with Afrikaner political desires. A further part of the compromise was that the British Union Jack would continue to fly alongside the Union national flag everywhere over official buildings. South Africa was thus one of a few countries in the world, as far as I am aware, that flew two national flags simultaneously! This situation continued until 1957 when the Union Jack was finally dispensed with by an Act of Parliament.

Sources: "The South African Flag Controversy" by Henry Saker, Oxford University Press, Cape Town, 1980; [skr80]
"Die Vlae van Suid-Afrika" by Dr C. Pama, Tafelberg Publishers, Cape Town, 1984; [pam84]
"SAVA Journal SJ: 4/95: The History of Flags of South Africa before 1900". [zyl95]
Andre Burgers, 18 Jan 2001

Although it was taken into use in 1928, the parliamentary debate on the orange-white-blue flag took place in 1927, so it is frequently referred to as the flag of 1927. Looking at your page on flag proposals, I notice that one particularly insulting nickname of the House of Assembly’s proposal – the one which stuck – is not mentioned.

The National Party, which had a slender majority and was in government, was not able to prevent this flag design from being approved, but maintained that the shield was no more than a scab which would in due course fall away. The shield flag was for many years known as the “scab flag” – possibly because the only people who referred to it in public were the radical Nationalists (especially Dr D F Malan’s Gesuiwerde Nasionale Party which abandoned the coalition government of 1934).

Dr Malan’s preference was for the Princevlag, so for him the “scab” (the quartered shield) was totally unacceptable. Yet his party (the Herenigde Nasionale Party which won the 1948 general election) quite happily accepted the 1928 flag (despite the presence of the Union Jack), and eventually abandoned its intention of returning to the Prinzenvlag.
Mike Oettle, 24 May 2002

I remember reading somewhere that somewhere around the years 1969-1971 a proposal was made for replacing the "1928" flag with the Prinzenvlag. Does anyone know more details about this? Was it an official proposal and/or was it taken in consideration seriously?
Mark Sensen, 24 May 2002

On 28 September 1968 the then ruling National Party announced a commission under the chairmanship of Mr Justice JF Marais to look into the matter of a new flag for South Africa and that any new design should be hoisted on Republic Day (31 May) in 1971 - the 10th anniversary of the declaration of the the republic. However, Mr John Vorster, the then Prime Minister of South Africa, decided later that new flags and symbols were not necessary and that it would be "petty politics" to interfere in the matter and accordingly, no further attempt was made to change the then national symbols of the country until the advent of democracy in 1994.

As most vexillologists are aware, the previous South African flag was born following a fierce debate and was in essence a compromise symbol between the English and Afrikaans-speaking white South Africans following the Anglo-Boer South African War of 1899-1902. There were numerous attempts to change the flag, particularly from Afrikaners who detested the "Union Jack" being part of the flag.

The former Prime Minister (and architect of apartheid) Dr Verwoerd had a dream to hoist a "clean" flag over South Africa in the 1960s. The proposed design comprised three vertical stripes of blue, white and orange (Princevlag colours) with a leaping springbok over a wreath of six proteas in the centre. This flag was designed by Mr HC Blatt, then assistant secretary in the Department of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister had already approved this design but his assassination in 1966 left the matter in abeyance until the National Party meeting in 1968, as referred to above. The successor to Dr Verwoerd, Mr John Vorster, raised the flag issue at a news conference on 30 March 1971 and said in the light of the impending elections and 10th anniversary Republic Day celebrations, he preferred "to keep the affair in the background". This he said was done because he did not want the flag question to degenerate into a political football (perhaps reflecting on the 1920s experience) and that the matter would be considered again when circumstances would be "more normal".

"I only want to warn, and express the hope, that no person should drag politics in any form into this matter because the flag must, at all times, be raised above party politics in South Africa" he said.

Verwoerd's dream for a new South African flag, with black and white illustration, is published in SAVA Newsletter 3/92 (July 1992) and is based on an article published in the Afrikaans newspaper, Rapport, on 15 December 1991.
Bruce Berry, 31 May 2002

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Coat of arms of South Africa

The coat of arms of South Africa is the main heraldic insignia of South Africa. The present coat of arms was introduced on Freedom Day, 27 April 2000, and was designed by Iaan Bekker. It replaced the earlier national arms, which had been in use since 1910. The motto is written in the extinct |Xam, member of the Khoisan languages, and translates literally to "diverse people unite". The previous motto, in Latin, was Ex Unitate Vires, translated as "From unity, strength".

South Africa - Coat of Arms

Coat of Arms (2000- )

New national coat of arms for South Africa were adopted on 27 April 2000.

The former Arms granted by Royal Warrant to the then Union of South Africa on 17 September 1910 changed only slightly over the years. The Arms did not change when South Africa became a Republic on 31 May 1961 and were adopted unchanged in the Interim Constitution which came into force on 27 April 1994.
No mention is made of the Arms in the 1996 Constitution (unlike the flag which is outlined in Schedule 1).
Bruce Berry, 20 Feb 2001

Details of the New South African Coat of Arms as unveiled yesterday, the 6th anniversary of Freedom Day by President Mbeki. These Arms replace those which have been in use since 17 September 1910. The Coat of Arms is a series of elements organized in two distinct circles placed on top of one another.

The Motto: !ke e:/xarra//ke, is written in the (now extinct) Khoisan language of the /Xam people and literally means: diverse people unite. It addresses each individual effort to harness the unity between thought and action. On a collective scale it calls for the nation to unite in a common sense of belonging and national pride - Unity in Diversity.
Elephant Tusks symbolize wisdom, strength, moderation and eternity.
The ears of wheat in the circle formed by the tusks symbolize fertility, growth and the development of the potential, the nourishment of people and the agricultural aspects of the earth.
The shield is shaped like a drum and has a dualistic function - the display of fertility and of spiritual defence.
The human figures on the shield are derived from the images of the Linton Stone, a world famous example of South African Rock Art, which is now housed and displayed in the South African Museum in Cape Town. The Khoisan, the oldest known inhabitants of South Africa, testify to our common humanity and heritage as South Africans. The figures are depicted in an attitude of greeting to symbolize unity. This also represents the beginning of the individual's transformation into the greater sense of belonging to the nation and by extension, collective humanity.
The spear and knobkierie are dual symbols of defence and authority and also represent the powerful legs of the Secretary Bird. The spear and knobkierie are lying down to symbolize peace.
The protea is an emblem of the beauty of South Africa and the flowering potential of the nation in pursuit of the African Renaissance and also symbolizes the holistic integration of forces that grow from the earth, nurtured from above.
The Secretary Bird, characterized in flight, is the natural consequence of growth and speed. It is a powerful bird whose legs, depicted as the spear and knobkierie, serve it well in its hunt for snakes symbolizing protection of the nation against its enemies. It is a messenger of the heavens and conducts its grace upon the earth, in this sense it is a symbol of divine majesty. Its uplifted wings are an emblem of the ascendance of the nation, whilst simultaneously offering us its protection.
The rising sun is an emblem of brightness and splendour. Its symbolizes the promise of the rebirth, the active faculties of reflection, knowledge, good judgment and will-power. It is the symbol of the source of life, of light and the ultimate wholeness of humanity.
The completed structure of the of the Coat of Arms combines the lower and higher circles in a symbol of infinity. The path that connects the lower edge of the scroll, through the lines of the tusks, with the horizon above which the sun rises at the top, forms the shape of a cosmic egg from which the Secretary Bird rises. In the symbolic sense this is the implied re-birth of the spirit of South Africa.
The coat of arms was designed by Mr Iaan Bekker of the design agency, FCB.
A previous design submitted by the Heraldry Council was rejected by the Cabinet, which then approached design agencies to present their concepts. Mr. Bekker's design was one of three which was considered by the Cabinet.
Bruce Berry, 28 Apr 2000

Some weeks ago Jos Poels gave me the next text which he received by email from the SA government:

The Bureau of Heraldry hereby gives notice in terms of section 5 (a) of the Heraldry Act, 1962 (Act No. 18 of 1962), of the registration of the new national coat of arms of the Republic of South Africa.

Arms: Or, representations of two San human figures of red ochre, statant respectant, the hands of the innermost arms clasped, with upper arm, inner wrist, waist and knee bands Argent, and a narrow border of red ochre; the shield ensigned of a spear and knobkierie in saltire, Sable. Thereabove a demi-secretary bird displayed Or, charged on the breast with a stylized representation of a protect flower with outer petals Vert, inner petals Or and seeded of nine triangles conjoined in three rows, the upper triangle Gules, the second row Vert, Or inverted and Vert, and the third row Vert, Or inverted, Sable, Or inverted and Vert. Above the head of the secretary bird an arc of seven rays facetted Or and Orange, the two outer rays conjoined to the elevated wings. Upon a riband Vert, the motto !KE E:/XARRA //KE in letters Argent. Issuant from the ends of the riband two pairs of elephant tusks curving inwards, the tips conjoined to the wings of the secretary bird, Or, therewithin and flanking the shields, two ears of wheat Brunatre.
Source: Government Gazette of 28 April 2000 (No. 21131)
Mark Sensen, 27 Jun 2000

I was just wondering what South African flags will be affected by the new coat-of-arms. For instance, under apartheid the presidential flags had the coat-of-arms on them, but I don't know if presidents Mandela and/or Mbeki use a presidential flag.
Mark Sensen, 29 Apr 2000

What I'd like to know is how one reads that "thing". I read somewhere that the exclamation mark is for sound of "clicking" with tongue, but what are the slashes and double shlashes?
Željko Heimer, 30 April 2000

The Dispatch newspaper, quoting the news agency SAPA, gave a guide to the pronunciation of the motto:
"An approximate pronunciation of the new motto is: (click)-eh-air-(click)-gaara-(click)-eh.
The first click is produced by flicking the tongue against the front of the palate.
The second is produced by pressing the tip of the tongue against the front teeth.
The third is made by sucking air through the side of the mouth. The "g" is guttural."
So, just start practising your San.
Jan Oskar Engene, 30 Apr 2000

They are also clicks, as also the colon. Human languages may have up to six different clicks (thrown kiss, good wine, donkey pusher and three other -- IYKWIM), and Khoisan had probably the most of them. Glyphing these sounds with strange symbols instead of using normal consonant letters is a way to "civilize" these "primitive" cultures and a generation later prove them that our white man's language (English, Russian, French, Portuguese, whatever) is much more simple and pretty to write and spell --
clearly superior to strange looking url-like galimaties... Instead of "!ke e: /xarra //ke" it could have looked like "Qke egh jhxarra whke" Or something like that...
Antonio Martins, 30 Apr 2000

Bruce did say the Khoisan were extinct. Last figures seem to suggest that somewhere between 8.000 and 11.000 still exist, Free to move inside the Kalahari Desert and Gemsbok Park - about 700,000 sq km (250,000 sq mi), situated between South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. The Khoisan language is NOT related to Xhosa (not even the click sounds). Xhosa is like all other southern African languages, Bantu related. The Khoisan language and the San People (Hottentots, Bushmen, Khoikhoi, Pygmies, or whatever other name they have been known under), are the only exception.
Franc Van Diest, 01 May 2000

San was chosen because they were the first South African people, and it is meant as a subtle sort of reminder that considering that fact, all other South African peoples are interlopers of a sort, and perhaps they should all just try to get along.
Roger & Pam Moyer, 02 May 2000

Does anyone know when the new coat of arms officially adopted? The government homepage mentions the new coat of arms was announced on Apr 27 2000. Is this the official date of adoption?
Nozomi Kariyasu, 03 Jun 2000

The official date of adoption of the new South African Coat of Arms is 27 April 2000.
Bruce Berry, 05 Jun 2000

A "Coat of Arms Corporate Identity Manual" for the South African Coat of Arms can be found at: http://www.gcis.gov.za/services/govt/corpid.pdf
Jan Oskar Engene, 13 Jan 2008

Coat of Arms (1932 - 2000)

image from this site, reported by Bruce Berry, 20 Feb 1998

New Armorial Bearings and supporters were granted to the Union of South Africa by Royal Warrant in 1910. These Arms were later changed to improve their "artistic" quality and a new design was approved by the London College of Arms in 1930. An "embellished" version was approved on 21 September 1932 and came into use during 1933. It is this version which was subsequently registered at the South African Bureau of Heraldry on 13 May 1968 with the following blazon:

ARMS: Quarterly per fess wavy: I, Gules a female figure representing Hope, resting the dexter arm upon a rock, and supporting with the sinister hand an anchor Argent; II, Or, two black wildebeest in full course at random, both proper; III, Or upon an island an orange tree Vert fructed proper; IV, Vert a trek wagon Argent.
CREST: On a wreath of the colours, a lion passant guardant Gules, supporting with the dexter paw four staves erect, alternately Argent and Azure and branded Or.
MANTLING: Argent and Gules.
SUPPORTERS: Dexter a springbok and sinister an oryx (gemsbok), both proper.
COMPARTMENT: Below the shield, on a compartment grassed Vert, two Proteas each with two flower heads proper.
MOTTO: EX UNITATE VIRES (Unity is Strength)

The shield is quartered with symbols from each of the original four areas (later provinces) which came together to form the Union of South Africa, viz Maiden of Hope (Cape of Good Hope), wildebeest (Natal), orange tree (Orange River Colony) and the trek-wagon (Transvaal).
Bruce Berry, 20 Feb 1998

Coat of Arms (1930-1932)

scan by Bruce Berry, 20 Sept 2006

The Arms of the Union of South Africa as recorded by the London College of Arms in 1930. An "embellished" version was approved on 21 September 1932 and came into use during 1933 and became the official coat of arms although versions of the so-called "un-embellished" arms as shown above continued to be used on official documents, government stationary etc.
Bruce Berry, 20 Sept 2006

Coat of Arms (1910-1930)

scan by Bruce Berry, 20 Sept 2006

The first coat of arms of South Africa were adopted following the formation of the Union of South Africa on 31 May 1910. Since the Union was created out of the Cape Colony, Natal Colony, the Orange River Colony and the Transvaal (the latter two being the former Boer republics which had ceased to exist at the end of the Anglo-Boer War in 1902), there was adequate heraldic material on which the new arms could be based. Accordingly, the shied of the new arms was divided into four and contained images from the arms of the four colonies which formed the Union of South Africa.

The blazon of the new arms as granted by Royal Warrant on 17 September 1910 reads as follows:

"Quarterly per fesse wavy First Quarter Gules a female figure representing Hope resting the dexter arm upon a rock and supporting with the sinister hand an Anchor Argent Second Quarter Or two Wildebeesten in full course at random both proper Third Quarter Or upon an island an Orange tree Vert fructed proper Fourth Quarter Vert a Trek Waggon Argent And for the Crest On a Wreath of the Colours A Lion passant guardant Gules supporting with the dexter paw four staves erect alternately Argent and Azure and branded Or And for the Supporters, On the dexter side A Spring Buck and on the sinister side An Oryx (Gemsbuck) both proper together with the motto EX UNITATE VIRES"

The wavy partition line per fesse represents the Orange River which flows through the country while the four former colonies are represented in shield, viz:

Cape Province in the first quarter by the female figure (Maiden of Hope)
Natal Colony in the second quarter by the wildebeest
Orange River Colony in the third quarter by the Orange tree
Transvaal Colony in the fourth quarter by the trek wagon.

The motto is from that of the former Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek's (Transvaal) Eendracht maakt Magt being translated into Latin as Ex Unitate Vires (Unity is Strength).

The Arms were used until 1930 when, following criticism of their artistic merit, it was decided that they be redrawn.
Bruce Berry, 24 Sept 2006

History

Following the end of apartheid, the new constitution of South Africa initially retained the coat of arms granted to South Africa in 1910. However, they had been viewed as outdated due to being designed by the British and Afrikaner minorities and not being representative of the black majority. The design process for a new coat of arms was initiated in 1999, the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology requested ideas for the new coat of arms from the public. A brief was then prepared based on the ideas received, along with input from the Cabinet. The Government Communication and Information System then approached Design South Africa to brief ten of the top designers. Three designers were chosen to present their concepts to the Cabinet, and Iaan Bekker's design was chosen.

The new arms were introduced on Freedom Day, 27 April 2000. The change reflected the government's aim to highlight the democratic change in South Africa and a new sense of patriotism.

The coat of arms is a series of elements organised in distinct symmetric egg-like or oval shapes placed on top of one another. The completed structure of the coat of arms combines the lower and higher oval shape in a symbol of infinity. The path that connects the lower edge of the scroll, through the lines of the tusks, with the horizon above and the sun rising at the top, forms the shape of the cosmic egg from which the secretary bird rises. In the symbolic sense, this is the implied rebirth of the spirit of the great and heroic nation of South Africa.

The coat of arms is also a central part of the Seal of the Republic, traditionally considered to be the highest emblem of the state.[4] Absolute authority is given to every document with an impression of the Seal of the Republic on it, as this means that it has been approved by the president of South Africa. Since 1997, however, the use of the Seal of the Republic has not actually been required by the Constitution, but it continues to be used.

The oval shape of foundation

The first element is the motto, in a green semicircle. Completing the semicircle are two symmetrically placed pairs of elephant tusks pointing upwards. Within the oval shape formed by the tusks are two symmetrical ears of wheat, that in turn frame a centrally placed gold shield.

The shape of the shield makes reference to the drum, and contains two human figures derived from Khoisan rock art Linton Stone, which is housed and displayed in the South African Museum in Cape Town. The figures are depicted facing one another in greeting and in unity.

Above the shield are a spear and a knobkierie, crossed in a single unit. These elements are arranged harmoniously to give focus to the shield and complete the lower oval shape of foundation.

The motto

The motto is: ǃke e꞉ ǀxarra ǁke, written in the Khoisan language of the ǀXam people, literally meaning "diverse people unite". It addresses each individual effort to harness the unity between thought and action. On a collective scale it calls for the nation to unite in a common sense of belonging and national pride – unity in diversity.

The ears of wheat

An emblem of fertility, it also symbolises the idea of germination, growth and the feasible development of any potential. It relates to the nourishment of the people and signifies the agricultural aspects of the Earth.

Elephant tusks

Elephants symbolise wisdom, strength, moderation and eternity.

The shield

It has a dual function as a vehicle for the display of identity and of spiritual defence. It contains the primary symbol of our nation.

The human figures

The Linton Panel, a famous San rock art displayed at the Iziko South African Museum; used as inspiration for the human figures on the shield.

The figures are depicted in an attitude of greeting, symbolising unity. This also represents the beginning of the individual’s transformation into the greater sense of belonging to the nation and by extension, collective humanity.

The spear and knobkierie

A dual symbol of defence and authority, they in turn represent the powerful legs of the secretary bird. The spear and knobkierie are lying down, symbolising peace.

The oval shape of ascendance

Immediately above the oval shape of foundation, is the visual centre of the coat of arms, a protea. The petals of the protea are rendered in a triangular pattern reminiscent of the crafts of Africa.

The secretary bird is placed above the protea and the flower forms the chest of the bird. The secretary bird stands with its wings uplifted in a regal and uprising gesture. The distinctive head feathers of the secretary bird crown a strong and vigilant head. The rising sun above the horizon is placed between the wings of the secretary bird and completes the oval shape of ascendance.

The combination of the upper and lower oval shapes intersect to form an unbroken infinite course, and the great harmony between the basic elements result in a dynamic, elegant and thoroughly distinctive design. Yet it clearly retains the stability, gravity and immediacy that a coat of arms demands.

The King protea

The protea is an emblem of the beauty of our land and the flowering of our potential as a nation in pursuit of the African Renaissance. The protea symbolises the holistic integration of forces that grow from the Earth and are nurtured from above. The most popular colours of Africa have been assigned to the protea – green, gold, red and black.

The secretary bird

The secretary bird is characterised in flight, the natural consequence of growth and speed. It is the equivalent of the lion on Earth. A powerful bird whose legs – depicted as the spear and knobkierie – serve it well in its hunt for snakes, symbolising protection of the nation against its enemies. It is a messenger of the heavens and conducts its grace upon the Earth. In this sense it is a symbol of divine majesty. Its uplifted wings are an emblem of the ascendance of our nation, while simultaneously offering us its protection. It is depicted in gold, which clearly symbolises its association with the sun and the highest power.

The rising sun

An emblem of brightness, splendour and the supreme principle of the nature of energy. It symbolises the promise of rebirth, the active faculties of reflection, knowledge, good judgement and willpower. It is the symbol of the source of life, of light and the ultimate wholeness of humanity.

South African flag Songs

Oranje-blanje-blou

Oranje-blanje-blou (Afrikaans for Orange, white and blue) refers, of course, to the old South African flag used between 1928 and 1994. This song was popular especially among Afrikaners when this flag flew over South Africa. The tune is by Henry Hugh Pierson (they don't say whether it was borrowed from this composer), and the lyrics are by an Afrikaans poet who wrote under the name Eitemal. The attribution for the text reads: "EITEMAL na: ,,O.D., hoch in Ehren''.
(There is a commonly used style of quotation marks, primarily German but often used in Afrikaans, that opens a quote with commas rather than the more familiar "inverted commas").

The title simply gives the colours of the 1928 South African flag, or, more strictly, the Dutch Princenvlag: orange, white and blue. (I am not certain of the derivation of "blanje", since it is not used in ordinary spoken Afrikaans, but I would guess that it is a form of the French "blanc", white).

The text reads:

Die Hoogland is ons woning,
die land van son en veld,

waar woeste vryheidswinde
waai oor graf van meenge held.
Die ruimtes het ons siel gevoed,
ons kan g'n slawe wees,
want vryer as die arendsvlug,
die vlugte van ons gees.

Chorus:

Dis die tyd, (repeated)
dis die dag, (repeated)
om te handhaaf en te bou.
Hoog die hart, (repeated)
hoog die vlag, (repeated)
hoog Oranje-blanje-blou!
Ons gaan saam die donker toekoms in
om as een te sneuwel of oorwin,
met ons oog gerig op jou,
ons Oranje-blanje-blou!

(Note: In the sixth line [hoog Oranje-blanje-blou], there is an echo of "blou, blanje-blou!")

Die ruwe berge-reekse
staan hoog teen awendlug,
soos gryse ewighede daar
versteen, verstyf in vlug.
En stewig soos die grou graniet
ons Boeretrots en -trou,
die fondament warop ond hier
'n nuwe nasie bou.

(Chorus)

Die God van onse vaders
het ons hierheen gelei
ons dien sy grootse skeppings-plan,
solank ons Boere bly.
Ons buig ons hoof
voor Hom alleen;
en as Hy ons verhoor
omgord ons bly die lendene:
Die toekoms wink daar voor.

Translation (off the cuff - any improvements welcome).
Note: the reference to Hoogland (translated here as highlands) is probably poetic licence for Highveld (Afrikaans Hoe"veld), a region which includes large parts of both the former Transvaal Province (Zuid- Afrikaansche Republiek) and the current Free State Province (the old Oranje Vrij Staat).

The highlands are our home,
the land of sun and veld,
where wild winds of freedom
blow over [the] grave of many a hero.
The open spaces have fed our souls,
we cannot be slaves [literaaly "we can be no slaves"]
as freer than the eagle's flight,
the flights of our spirit.

Chorus:

It's the time, it's the day,
to maintain and to build.
High the heart,
high the flag,
high Orange-white-blue!

We go together into the dark future
together to die or win,
with our eye fixed on you,
our Orange-white-blue!

(Sneuwel means literally to die in warfare; oorwin means to win in battle.)

The rugged mountain ranges
stand high against the evening light
like petrified grey eternities there,
stiffened in flight.
And firmly like the grey granite
our Boer pride and loyalty,
the foundation upon which we here
are building a new nation.

(The word awendlug [evening air] seems to be an error; it seems more logical to say awendlig [evening light]; awend is a poetic form [harking back to Dutch] for the more usual Afrikaans "aand").

The God of our fathers
led us here,
we serve his mighty creation plan,
as long as we Boers remain.
Webend our heads before Him alone;
and if He hears us
we gird our loins joyfully:
The future waves us on.

(Source: The FAK [Federasie van Afrikaanse Kultuurvereninge] Sangbunde).
Mike Oettle, 06 Feb 2004.

Vryheidslied

On flipping through the FAK book I came across a song. The title is Vryheidslied. The lyrics are by Jan F E Celliers, and the music by Emiel Hullebroeck. The words are:

Vrome vad're, fier en groot
Deur vervolging, ramp en nood,
was hul leuse, tot die dood:
Vryheid! Vryheid!

Erf'nis van hul moed en trou
is die grond waar ons op bou.
Juigend tot die hemel-blou:
Vryheid! Vryheid!

Ere wie die dood mag lei
om te rus aan hulle sy,
met die sterwenswoord te skei:
Vryheid! Vryheid!

Op dan, broers, en druk hul spoor,
voorwaarts, broers, die vaandel voor,
laat die veld ons krygsroep hoor:
Vryheid! Vryheid!

Woes geweld mag hoogty hou,
kettings mag ons lede knou,
maar die leuse bly ons trou:
Vryheid! Vryheid!

Jukke mag vir slawe wees,
manneharte ken geen vrees,
duld geen boei vir lyf of gees:
Vryheid! Vryheid!

Now the English translation:

Pious fathers (ancestors), proud and brave
Through persecution, disaster and need
their motto, to the death, was:
Freedom! Freedom!

The heritage of their courage and faith
is the land we build on.
Joyful to the blue heavens:
Freedom! Freedom!

Honours to those led by death
to rest at its side,
uttering their final word:
Freedom! Freedom!

Up, then, brothers, and follow their tracks,
forwards, brothers, the banner in front,
may the veld hear our battle cry:
Freedom! Freedom!

Brutal force might with the day,
chains may chafe our limbs,
but to this motto we are faithful:
Freedom! Freedom!

Yokes may be for slaves,
the hearts of men know no fear,
tolerating no shackles for body or soul:
Freedom! Freedom!

Notes: The word "vader" translates as "father", and its usual plural is "vaders" ("fathers"). The plural form "vadere" (here poetically shortened to "vad're") means "ancestors". The word "lede" means "members", but is here an abbreviation of "ledemate" ("body parts" or "limbs"). "Ledemate" is used also of members of a church community, a reference to St Paul's description of the Church as being the Body of Christ, made up of people with different functions. The ordinary translation of "vaandel" is "ensign" (a naval ensign is a vlootvaandel), but in the poetic context, "banner" seems more appropriate.
Mike Oettle, 14 April 2004

THE FALLEN FLAG
Inscribed to Albert Cartwright – The African Bonivard.

Furl the fourfold banner,
Lay that flag to rest;
In the roll of honour –
The brightest, bravest, best.
Now no hand may wave it,
O'er valley, pass or hill;
Where thousands died to save it –
The patriot hearts are still.

It flew o'er proud Majuba,
Where the victor farmers stood:
O'er the tide of the Tugela –
Dark-dyed with hostile blood.
On Stormberg passes glorious –
And o'er Ma'rsfontein* height, –
Wher Cronje's host victorious
Withstood the British might.

But a prouder grander story
Is the record of the band,
Which surpassed all former glory,
In the latest greatest stand.
When ten to one outnumbered –
Of hope and help bereft,
On ground with graves encumbered,
Defenders still were left.

There were hero hearts to lead them,
On the path where death was won;
To float the flag of Freedom
Where the eagle sees the sun.
To keep the Vierkleur flying
On every fortress hill;
From the cold clasp of the dying
There were hands to sieze it still.

O Land, so fondly cherished –
Endeared by patriot graves, –
The soil where such have perished
Is not the soil for slaves.
From age to age your story
Shall sound to other days:
You leave your sons the glory
That fallen flag to raise.

O sacred smitten Nation,
Crowned on thy Calvary,
There's a day of restoration –
An Easter Morn for Thee.
Vierkleur, young hands shall grab thee –
New armies round thee stand;
Men whose fathers died shall clasp thee
On the blood-bought Burghers' Land.

* Magersfontein should thus be pronounced.

[This footnote, explaining the spelling Ma'rsfontein, appears under the second stanza.]
Mike Oettle, 18 Dec 2008

Ons Vlag

Nou waai ons Vlag en wapper fier!
Sy kleure is ons vreugde;
hul skoonheid spoor ons harte aan
tot ware, ed'le deugde.

Oranje dui op heldemoed
wat krag vind by die Here;
die Blanje eis 'n rein gemoed;
die Blou verg trou en ere.

Ons Vlag bly steeds ons eenheidsband.
Al kom ook sware tye;
dis God wat waak oor Volk en Land,
Suid-Afrika ons eie.

Translation:

Now our flag waves and flaps bravely!
Its colours are our joy;
their beauty encourages our hearts
to true, noble virtues.

Orange stands for heroic courage
which draws strength from the Lord;
the White demands a pure attitude;
the Blue wants loyalty and honour.

Our flag remains our bond of unity.
Even if times get hard;
it's God who watches over Nation and Land,
South Africa our own.

The forms "sware" (where "swaar" would be the usual way of speaking), "ed'le" (for "edele") and "ere" (for "eer") are poetic forms, adaptations to the scansion. The same goes for the word "meen'ge" in Oranje-blanje-blou, which would normally be "menige".

(Source: The FAK [ Federasie van Afrikaanse Kultuurvereninge] Sangbunde).
Mike Oettle, 10 Feb 2004

De Vlaamse Leeuw

This song is an odd one to find in the FAK Sangbundel, since its title translates as "The Flemish Lion" and the language is Dutch, definitely not Afrikaans. Clearly, it was included because, centuries after the Eighty Years
War, the symbol of Flanders still finds a resonance with Afrikaner descendants of those Protestant Flemings who fled Spanish rule and went to live in the Seven Provinces.

The words are credited to T H van Peene, and the tune to K Mirij, arrangement by Dirkie de Villiers (son of M L de Villiers, the composer of the music to Die Stem van Suid-Afrika, the former South African national anthem).

There are two verses and a refrain:

Zij zullen hem niet temmen,
de fiere Vlaamse Leeuw,
al dreigen zij zijn vrijheid
met kluisters en geschreeuw.
Zij zullen hem niet temmen,
zolang e'e'n Vlaming leeft,
zolang de Leeuw kan klauwen,
zolang hij tanden heeft.

Refrain:

Zij zullen him niet temmen
zolang e'e'n Vlaming leeft,
zolang de Leeuw kan klauwen,
zolang hij tanden heeft,
zolang de Leeuw kan klauwen,
zolang hij tanden heeft.

De tijd verslindt de steden,
geen tronen blijven staan,
de legerbenden sneven,
een volk zal niet vergaan.
De vijand trekt te velde,
omringd van doodsgevaar.
Wij lachen met zijn woede,
die Vlaamse Leeuw is daar.

Here's an attempt at a translation:

They won't tame him,
the proud Flemish Lion,
even if they threaten his freedom
with chains and shouting.
They will not be able to tame him
as long as even one Fleming lives,
as long as the Lion can claw,
as long as he has teeth.

Refrain:

They will not tame him,
the proud Flemish Lion,
as long as one Fleming lives,
as long as the Lion has claws,
as long as he has teeth,
as long as the Lion has claws,
as long as he has teeth.

Time eats up the cities,
no thrones last forever,
the armed companies die in battle,
a people will not disappear.
The enemy goes out to war,
surrounded by deadly danger.
We laugh at his anger,
the Flemish Lion is there.

I have written the word een as e'e'n - each 'e' carries an acute accent. This emphasises the word, giving the meaning "even if only one Fleming is left alive". The word verslindt means to destroy by eating - this verb is used literally only of animals (never humans) and, poetically, of things that destroy in like manner. I am not certain that I have the right word for "kluisters" - I don't have a dictionary at hand as I write this - and would be grateful if some Dutch correspondent would check that. "Geschreeuw" can mean either shouting or screaming, but shouting seems more appropriate. In the second verse, "de legerbenden sneven" - "leger" means army, but "armed companies" seems to fit better with "benden" or bands. "Sneven" (in Afrikaans "sneuwel") means to die in war or in battle (rather than dying of disease, another common way in which soldiers have traditionally lost their lives). I have rendered "een volk" as "a people", but "a nation" could also be appropriate. "Trekt te velde" means literally to go out into the fields, but its application to an enemy means that it is out on campaign (after all, campaign comes from a word meaning "fields", also).
Mike Oettle, 02 Mar 2004

Transvaalse Volkslied

The Transvaalse Volkslied, although the official anthem of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek and when the territory was officially called Transvaal (1879-81and 1901 onwards), it was not well thought of by the authorities.

The words and music of the Transvaalse Volkslied are by Catharina F van Rees, and it is dated 1875 - surprisingly it dates to the period before the annexation of 1879, since the emotions seem to blend well with those of the victorious rebels of 1881. Possibly this date accounts for the song's non-avoidance of the word Transvaal, which was the name of the state so strongly rejected in the uprising of 1880-81. The arrangement is by G G Cillie'. (There is an acute accent on the final letter in this surname; it is pronounced "Sil-yee". The surname is French, although its spelling is no longer authentically French; other members of this family spell it as Cilliers or Celliers.) The language is Dutch. (As mentioned previously, Afrikaans was the spoken language of all the 19th-century Boer republics, but was hardly ever written, and was not generally well thought of by
those who had been educated in either English or Dutch.)

Kent gij dat volk vol heldenmoed
en toch zo lang geknecht?
Het heeft geofferd goed en bloed
voor vryheid en voor recht.
Komt burgers! laat de vlaggen wapp'ren,
ons lijden is voorbij;
roemt in die zege onzer dapp'ren:
Dat vrije volk zijn wij!
Dat vrije volk, dat vrije volk, dat vrije, vrije volk zijn wij!

Kent gij dat land, zo schaars bezocht
en toch zo heerlik schoon;
waar de natuur haar wond'ren wrocht,
en kwistig stelt ten toon?
Transvalers! laat ons feestlied schallen!
Daar waar ons volk hield stand,
waar onze vreugdeschoten knallen,
daar is ons vaderland!
Dat heerlik land, dat heerlik land, dat is, dat is ons vaderland!

Kent gij die Staat, nog maar een kind
in's werelds Statenrij,
maar tog door 't machtig Brits bewind
weleer verklaard voor vrij?
Transvalers! edel was uw streven,
en pijnlik onze smaad,
maar God die uitkomst heeft gegeven,
zij lof voor d'eigen Staat!
Looft onze God! Looft onze God! Looft onze God voor land en Staat!

Now for a translation (again lease excuse and correct! any errors):

Do you know the people full of heroic courage
and yet so long servants?
It has offered possessions and blood
for freedom and for justice.
Come, citizens, let the flags wave,
our suffering is past;
be joyous in the victory of our brave ones;
We are the free people!
The free people, the free people, the free, free people are we!

Do you know the land,
so seldom visited,
and yet so wonderfully beautiful;
where nature has wrought her wonders,
and profligately puts them on display?
Transvalers! let our festival song resound!
There were our people stood fast,
where our gunshots of joy resound,
there is our fatherland,
That wonderful land, that wonderful land, that is, that is our
fatherland!

Do you know the State,
yet still a child among the States of the world,
but nontheless by the mighty British power
truly declared as free?
Transvalers! Noble was your struggle,
and painful our suffering,
but God has given the outcome,
and praise for our own State!
Praise our God! Praise our God! Praise our God! Praise our God for land
and State!

In the first verse, "wapp'ren" and "dapp'ren" are poetic forms that omit the middle vowel. The same goes for "wond'ren" in the second verse. "Geknecht" means "reduced to the state of servants" (not quite slaves).
In the third verse the word Statenrij has no exact equivalent in English, although English occasionally uses the same construction of ending a word with -ry to form a noun from a shorter one, as in "heraldry".
"Statenrij" is perhaps best rendered as "the multitude of States" or "the variety of States" (independent states, that is). "Door't" is a typically Dutch construction which has disappeared from Afrikaans, except in one or two idioms, where the definite object "het" is reduced to its final letter and (sometimes) tagged onto the previous
word. (North country English has a comparable usage, although this is a shortening of "the".)
Mike Oettle, 04 Mar 2004

Vaarwel aan die Vierkleur

Here are the lyrics of Vaarwel aan die Vierkleur, as they appear in the FAK-Sangbundel (Fourth Edition 1979, sixth printing of 2002) published by Protea Boekhuis for the Federasie van Afrikaanse Kultuurvereniginge (FAK).

I don't know if I've managed to turn out an acceptable rendition in English. The original is rather tearful I'm afraid. The word 'Vierkleur' I kept, 'Fourhue' rather sounds like a steed ridden by a LOTR character. To
pronounce 'Vierkleur', say "veerckler" with -er as in 'her'. One strong image gets lost in translation, the word 'vlag' is feminine you see. Here goes:

No longer may the Vierkleur wave,
in tears we gave it up,
it has been buried with our braves
sunk into an honourable grave
it has been buried with our braves
sunk into an honourable grave.

Happier those who fell
when still the Flag was borne,
than us who had to see and mourn
it dragged into the dust
than us who had to see and mourn
it dragged into the dust.

No happy morning for it there,
we part from it forever
now resting in the Nation's heart
and dedicated to the Past
now resting in the Nation's heart
and dedicated to the Past.

Blessed to those who bore it boldly
to brave the prideful foe
whose feeble arms to it did cling
as they went to their death

whose feeble arms to it did cling
as they went to their death.

Let Future Ages never forget them
as long as men endure
till even Heaven is outworn
and Earth reels before its fall,
till even Heaven is outworn
and Earth reels before its fall.
Jan Mertens, 30 Apr 2004

Die Vlaglied / The Song of the Flag

Another flag song, this time abut the former South African flag called "Die Vlaglied" / "The Song of the Flag" which was composed by CJ Langenhoven, the composer of the former South African National Anthem "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika" / "The Call of South Africa".

This song was sung by a Children's Choir at the dedication ceremony marking the establishment of the Republic of South Africa held at the Cape Show Grounds in Cape Town on 31 May 1961.

The English and Afrikaans versions are as follows:

"The Song of the Flag"
Cradled in beauty forever shall fly
In the gold of her sunshine the blue of her sky,
South Africa's pledge of her freedom and pride
In their home by sacrifice glorified.
By righteousness armed, we'll defend in our might
The sign and the seal of our freedom and right,
The emblem and loyalty, service and love;
To our own selves true and to God above,
Our faith shall keep what our hearts enthrone -
The flag of the land that is all our own.

"Die Vlaglied"
Nooit hoef jou kinders wat trou is te vra:
"Wat beteken jou vlag dan, Suid-Afrika?"
On sweet hy's die seel van ons vryheid en reg
Vir naaste en vreemde, vir oorman en kneg;
Die pand van ons erf'nis, geslag op geslag,
Om te hou vir ons kinders se kinder swat wag;
Ons nasie se grondbrief van eiendomsland,
Uitgegee op gesag van die Hoogste se hand.
Oor ons hoof sal ons hys, in ons hart sal ons dra,
Die vlag van ons eie Suid-Afrika.
Bruce Berry, 31 Aug 2007

1910 arms

The first coat of arms was granted by King George V by royal warrant on 17 September 1910. This was a few months after the formation of the Union of South Africa.

It was a combination of symbols representing the four provinces (formerly colonies) that made up the Union.

The first quarter is the figure of Hope, representing the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope.
The two wildebeests of the second quarter represent the Colony of Natal.
The orange tree in the third quarter was used as the symbol of the Orange Free State Republic.
The wagon in the fourth quarter represented the Transvaal.
The supporters are taken from the arms of the Orange River Colony and the Cape Colony.
The lion holds four rods, bound together, symbolising the unification of the four former colonies.

The motto, Ex Unitate Vires was officially translated as "Union is Strength" until 1961, and thereafter as "Unity is Strength".

Evolution

Main article: Coat of arms of South Africa (1910–2000)

Three official renditions of the arms were used. The original rendition (1910) was the only version used until 1930, and it continued to be used as the rank badge of warrant officers in the South African Defence Force and South African National Defence Force until 2002. The second version, painted in 1930 and known as the "ordinary coat of arms", and the third version, painted in 1932 and known as the "embellished coat of arms", were both used until 2000. The former was also used on the insignia of the South African Police until the 1990s.

History

1902–1910

The South African Republic

Vierkleur

The Second Anglo-Boer War between 1899 and 1902 ended with the Treaty of Vereeniging on 31 May 1902 and resulted in what is now South Africa falling under the British Union Flag. The former Boer Republics of the Orange Free State and the Zuid-Afrikaanse Republiek (Transvaal) became British colonies along with the existing Cape and Natal colonies. Each was also entitled to a colonial flag following in the British tradition.

1910–1928

Main article: South Africa Red Ensign

On 31 May 1910 these four colonies came together to form the Union of South Africa and the individual colonial flags were no longer used and new South African flags came into being. Once again, as a British dominion the British Union Flag was to continue as the national flag and the standard British ensign pattern was used as a basis for distinctive South African flags.

As was the case throughout the British Empire, the Red and Blue Ensigns were the official flags for merchant and government vessels at sea, and the British Admiralty authorised them to be defaced in the fly with the shield from the South African coat of arms.[6][7] These ensigns were not intended to be used as the Union's national flag, although they were used by some people as such. Although these ensigns were primarily intended for maritime use, they were also flown on land.

1928–1994

Main article: Flag of South Africa (1928–1994)

Union of South Africa
(1928–1961)
Republic of South Africa
(1961–1994)

Oranje, Blanje, Blou

Use National flag, civil and state ensign

Proportion2:3

Adopted31 May 1928

RelinquishedApril 27, 1994; 29 years ago

Three small flags on the flag of South Africa, used from 1928 to 1982.

Three small flags on the flag of South Africa, used from 1982 to 1994.

The three flags in the centre representing the former British colonies of Cape Colony and Natal with the Union Flag on the left, followed by the flags of the former Boer republics of Orange Free State and the South African Republic on the right. The Union Flag is shown with the hoist on the right.

Due to the lack of popularity of these flags, there were intermittent discussions about the desirability of a more distinctive national flag for South Africa after 1910 it was only after a coalition government took office in 1925 that a bill was introduced in Parliament to introduce a national flag for the Union. This provoked an often violent controversy that lasted for three years based on whether the British Union Flag should be included in the new flag design or not. The Natal Province even threatened to secede from the Union should it be decided to remove it.

Finally, a compromise was reached that resulted in the adoption of a separate flag for the Union in late 1927 and the design was first hoisted on 31 May 1928. The design was based on the so-called Van Riebeeck flag or "Prince's Flag" (Prinsenvlag in Afrikaans) that was originally the Dutch flag; it consisted of orange, white, and blue horizontal stripes. A version of this flag had been used as the flag of the Dutch East India Company (known as the VOC) at the Cape (with the VOC logo in the centre) from 1652 until 1795. The South African addition to the design was the inclusion of three smaller flags centred in the white stripe. The miniature flags were the British Union Flag (mirrored) towards the hoist, the flag of the Orange Free State hanging vertically in the middle and the Transvaal Vierkleur towards the fly. The position of each of the miniature flags is such that each has equal status. However, to ensure that the Dutch flag in the canton of the Orange Free State flag is placed nearest to the upper hoist of the main flag, the Free State flag must be reversed. The British Union Flag, which is nearest to the hoist and is thus in a more favoured position, is spread horizontally from the Free State flag towards the hoist and is thus also reversed. Although placed horizontally furthest from the hoist, to balance the British Union Flag, the Vierkleur is the only one of the miniature flags which is spread in the same direction as the main flag. This compensates for its otherwise less favourable position. In this arrangement, each of the miniature flags enjoy equal precedence. Note that the miniature flags of the Transvaal Republic and the Orange Free State both contain miniature flags of the Netherlands, while the miniature flag of the United Kingdom is a composition of the flags of England, Scotland and the Anglo-Irish people, making the old South African flag the only former national flag in the world containing five flags within three flags within a flag.

The choice of the Prinsenvlag (which was believed to be the first flag hoisted on South African soil by Jan van Riebeeck of the VOC) as the basis upon which to design the South African flag had more to do with compromise than Afrikaner political desires, since the Prinsenvlag was politically neutral, as it was no longer the national flag of any nation. A further element of this compromise was that the British Union Flag would continue to fly alongside the new South African national flag over official buildings. This dual flag arrangement continued until 1957 when the British Union Flag lost its official status per an Act of Parliament.

Following a referendum the country became a republic on 31 May 1961, but the design of the flag remained unchanged. However, there was intense pressure to change the flag, particularly from Afrikaners who still resented the fact that the British Union Flag was a part of the flag. In 1968, the then Prime Minister, John Vorster, proposed the adoption of a new flag from 1971, to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the declaration of a republic but this never materialised.

Since 2019, public display of this flag in South Africa is considered hate speech (for being a potential symbol of apartheid and white supremacy) and therefore prohibited, with exceptions for artistic, academic and journalistic purposes, as well as for museums & places of historical interest.

1994–present

South African Ambassador to the U.S. Harry Schwarz presenting the new flag to the U.S. president Bill Clinton and vice president Al Gore in May 1994.

The present South African national flag was first flown on 27 April 1994, the day of the 1994 election. However, the flag was first intended to be an interim flag only, and its design was decided upon only a week beforehand.

The choice of a new flag was part of the negotiation process set in motion when Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990. When a nationwide public competition was held in 1993, the National Symbols Commission received more than 7,000 designs. Six designs were shortlisted and presented to the public and the Negotiating Council, but none elicited enthusiastic support. A number of design studios were then contacted to submit further proposals, but these also did not find favour. Parliament went into recess at the end of 1993 without a suitable candidate for the new national flag.

In February 1994, Cyril Ramaphosa and Roelf Meyer, the chief negotiators of the African National Congress and the National Party government of the day respectively, were given the task of resolving the flag issue. A final design was adopted on 15 March 1994, derived from a design developed by the State Herald Fred Brownell, who had also claimed to have previously designed the Namibian flag.[citation This interim flag was hoisted officially for the first time on 27 April 1994, the day when the nation's first fully inclusive elections commenced which resulted in Nelson Mandela being inaugurated as South Africa's first democratically elected president on 10 May 1994. The flag was well received by most South Africans, though a small minority objected to it; hundreds of Afrikaner Volksfront members in Bloemfontein burned the flag in protest a few weeks before the April 1994 elections.

The flag flying at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

The proclamation of the new national flag by South African President F. W. de Klerk was only published on 20 April 1994,[5] a mere seven days before the flag was to be inaugurated, sparking a frantic last-minute flurry for flag manufacturers. As stated in South Africa's post-apartheid interim constitution, the flag was to be introduced on an interim probationary period of five years, after which there would be discussion about whether or not to change the national flag in the final draft of the constitution. The Constitutional Assembly was charged with the responsibility of drafting the country's new constitution and had called for submissions, inter alia, on the issues of its various national symbols. It received 118 submissions recommending the retention of the new flag and 35 suggesting changes to it. Thus on 28 September 1995 it decided that the flag should be retained unchanged and accordingly it was included as Section One of the Constitution of South Africa which came into force in February 1997.

Proper display of the flag

The South African government published guidelines for proper display of the flag at designated flag stations, in Government Notice 510 of 8 June 2001 (Gazette number 22356). These rules apply only to official flag stations and not to the general public.

The Southern African Vexillological Association (SAVA), a non-official association for the study of flags, published their own guide for proper display of the flag in 2002. This guide has no official authority but was drawn up with generally accepted vexillological etiquette and principles in mind.

South Africa

Republic of South Africa, Republiek van Suid-Afrika, IRiphabliki yeSewula Afrika, IRiphabliki yaseMz

Flag adopted 27 Apr 1994

Origin and colours of the new flag

The strips are red/orange and blue, the same of the previous flag. The added colors are the same of African National Congress's flag, which is composed of three equal horizontal strips: black, green and yellow. Therefore I argue that the new flag is the merge of the two flags. Apart from strips' colors (orange and blue instead of red and green), the colour of the second fimbriation (green instead of black) and the absence of a coat in the triangle, the new South African flag is very similar to Vanuatu's.
Giuseppe Bottasini

C-SPAN (Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network), reporting on the election in South Africa, showed the "interim" flag which will be used for the next five years; the new parliament will choose a permanent flag. In English blazon, it is: Tierced in pairle couchy sable, gules and azure, a pairle couchy vert fimbriated or to dexter and argent to chief and base.

I think the interim flag for South Africa is said to be composed of the colours of flags of past administrations. Which is as plausible as anything, since it includes all the heraldic tinctures.
Anton Sherwood

The current South African flag was designed by Mr Fred Brownell, State Herald of South Africa.
Bruce Berry, 26 Mar 1999

Colour Specifications
Album 2000 gives the official (Pantone) and approximate (CMYK) specifications as follows:

Red:    179c C0-M90-Y90-K0
Green: 3415c C100-M0-Y80-K20
Yellow: 1235c    C0-M25-Y80-K0
Blue: Reflex Blue c    C100-M80-Y0-K0

Ivan Sache, 15 Jan 2002

The South African flag pantones as I have them are: >Uncoated surfaces:    Coated surfaces:
Blue:    287u 288c
Red: 485u (x2) 485c
Yellow: 116u 1235c
Green:    355u 349c
Black
White
Source: SA Bureau of Standards - Specifications for the National Flag, 2nd ed.
Bruce Berry, 21 Jan 2002 > The protocol manual for the London 2012 Olympics (Flags and Anthems Manual, London, 2012 [bib-lna.html]) provides recommendations for national flag designs. Each National Olympic Committee was sent an image of their flag, including the PMS shades, by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) for their approval. Once this was obtained, the LOCOG produced a 60 x 90 cm version of the flag for further approval. So, while these specifications may not be the official, government, version of each flag, they are certainly what the National Olympic Committee believed their flag to be.

For South Africa : PMS 179 orange/red, 3415 green, reflex blue, 1235 yellow and black. The vertical flag is the horizontal version reversed and turned 90 degrees anti-clockwise - black at the top, orange/red on the left, blue on the right.
Ian Sumner, 10 Oct 2012

Symbolism of the flag

The colours of the South African flag do not really have symbolic meanings in themselves. People do sometimes assign meanings to the colours (such as red for blood, yellow for mineral wealth etc.) but this is not the case with the current South African flag. According to Mr. Frederick Brownell, the former State Herald who played a large role in the original design, while the colours of the flag do not have any official symbolism, they do represent a synopsis of the country’s flag history. The design in turn, represents a converging of paths, the merging of both the past and the present.

Black, gold and green, which were first incorporated into South African national flags in the 19th century, also feature prominently in the flags of the liberation movements, particularly the African National Congress (ANC), the Pan-African Congress (PAC) and Inkatha. These colours can thus be said to broadly represent the country's black population.

Blue, white, red and green reflect the British and Dutch (later Boer) influence, as shown in the earliest flags flown in South Africa, and also featured prominently in the old South African National Flag (1928-1994) and thus represent the white population of South Africa.

The green pall (the Y-shape) is commonly interpreted to mean the unification of the various ethnic groups and the moving forward into a new united South Africa.

The South African flag is the only national flag to contain six colours as part of its primary design (excluding those flags which contain various colour shades as part of the detail of coats of arms or other charges etc.).
Bruce Berry, 14 Feb 2000

The History and Heritage Section of the South Africa.Info web site has a lengthy section on the present flag of the Republic of South Africa, with some interesting information. The flag material is entitled 'Fly, the beloved flag,' a very clever play on the title of Alan Paton's novel 'Cry, the Beloved Country,' one of the first works in English to describe the former apartheid state.
Ron Lahav, 12 Nov 2008

Interview with the designer of the flag

Here is an interview with the designer of the South African flag by the BBC on the 20th anniversary of the: adoption of the flag (27 April 2014):

Fred Brownell: The man who made South Africa's flag

The multi-coloured flag of modern South Africa is a symbol of its post-apartheid rebirth. But while Nelson Mandela led the country on a "long walk" to freedom, the creation of the flag 20 years ago was a frantic sprint by an unsung hero, writes Xin Fan.

On a Saturday night at the end of February 1994 Fred Brownell's phone rang. The voice on the other end asked him to get a new national flag designed - within a week.

"It scared the living daylights out of me," says Brownell, now 74 and living in retirement in Pretoria.

Brownell was state herald, and had long known that the emerging new South Africa would need a new flag, but until this point he had not been asked to play a central role.

Initially, members of the public had been asked for their ideas. Some 7,000 sketches had been sent in, but none was judged appropriate. Then the authorities had turned to design studios. That too proved fruitless.

he months had passed by and now the first democratic elections - when the new flag was expected to be fluttering in the South African breeze - were little more than eight weeks away. Hence the urgent Saturday night call to Brownell.

Fortunately, he had already given the subject some thought.

He had been asking himself for some time what the new South African flag should look like. But his sketches had all ended up in the wastepaper basket until one day in August 1993, when he sat listening to an "interminable speech" at an international flag conference in Zurich.

"My mind started wandering," he recalls. "And then it struck me - aren't we looking for convergence and unification?" The convergence of the disparate groups within South African society, and their unification in one democratic state.

He flipped over the conference programme and started sketching. Three arms came in from the flagpole side of the flag (the "hoist") and became one.

"I was struck by the extent it resonated with what Mandela had in mind. 'Yes, it might work!' I thought," Brownell remembers.

His first idea was for the three-pronged shape to be coloured red, with green and blue at top and bottom, but he soon concluded it looked better with the colours switched around - the three-pronged shape in green, red at the top and blue at the bottom.

But the flag needed other colours too. "I think one must realise that red, white and blue or orange white and blue harked back to South Africa's colonial heritage," Brownell says.

Gold was the first he added, then black - both colours found on the flags of the African National Congress, the Zulus' Inkatha Freedom Party, and various other political groupings in South Africa.

The final design also used a particular orangey shade of red known as chilli red, which is mid-way between the colours of the British and Dutch colonial-era flags but at the same time reminiscent of South Africa's coral trees, Brownell says, and the flat hats worn by married Zulu women.

The only other change to the design was made at the suggestion of Brownell's daughter, Claire, a young schoolteacher.

"Dad, use your brain!" she said. "People will stand that on its head and turn it into the nuclear peace sign. The middle leg must go."

The three arms converging into one, became just two arms converging into one.

So when Brownell got the call asking him to have the issue "solved within the week" he was not starting completely from scratch.

In the end it came down to five proposals, two of them Brownell's. Of the others, one was based on an idea from the ANC, another came to a member of the committee Brownell had hastily convened in the middle of a plane flight.

The choice was put to (the then) State President FW de Klerk, who said it was not a decision he could take alone and called an impromptu cabinet meeting. "I noticed their eyes", says Brownell. "They were being drawn to my design."

Sure enough it was one of his drawings that was selected. Officials then contacted ANC negotiator Cyril Ramaphosa, and a tense wait ensued. His approval finally came through later that afternoon.

Many years later Brownell learned that Ramaphosa too had not wished to act alone, and had contacted Nelson Mandela, then in Rustenburg in the north-east of the country, to get his personal blessing.

"A design had been sent to Mandela by fax. Somebody on the other end had to run down to the stationery shop, grab some colouring pencils, and colour in the flag," says Brownell.

Luckily, Brownell says, "Mandela was happy with it."

That same day, 15 March 1994, the design was unanimously adopted by the Transitional Executive Council, which asked President de Klerk to issue a proclamation adopting the national flag. But for reasons that Brownell still cannot explain, the proclamation was made only on 20 April, seven days before the election.

During the wait, Brownell says, "lots of us were going frantic".

"Flag manufacturers were screaming high and low. South Africa could only produce 5,000 flags per week, and at least around 100,000 were needed for April 27th to fill every flagpole in the country."

Manufacturers in the Netherlands helped save the day, although not before exhausting Europe's entire stock of flag material and having to import it from Japan.

"Public reaction was muted, originally," recalls Brownell. "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," he says.

Asked what might have prompted him to come up with his initial three-pronged design, Brownell reflects that it was probably embedded in his mind from childhood.

"I grew up in the Anglican church and this particular design was in fact incorporated into the classical chasubles [outer vestments] worn by priests in both the Catholic and Anglican church," he says.

"In recent years chasubles have changed very much, but that was the classic design."

Twenty years on, Brownell is quietly pleased with his work.

He still sees the "convergence and unification" of a diverse country reflected in the flag, and insists there is no-one in South Africa who does not recognise in it colours they hold dear.

"I feel happy to have contributed in some small way."

(Submitted by Esteban Rivera, 10 Apr 2016)

South Africa (1928-1994)

Flag of 1928-1994

Current status regarding the display of the flag in South Africa

The South African Flag Controversy (1927)

Coat of arms of South Africa

South Africa - Coat of Arms

Coat of Arms (2000- )

Coat of Arms (1932 - 2000)

Coat of Arms (1930-1932)

Coat of Arms (1910-1930)

History

The oval shape of foundation

The oval shape of ascendance

South African flag Songs

Vryheidslied

Ons Vlag

De Vlaamse Leeuw

Transvaalse Volkslied

Vaarwel aan die Vierkleur

Die Vlaglied / The Song of the Flag

1910 arms

Evolution

History

1902–1910

1910–1928

1928–1994

1994–present

1994–present

Proper display of the flag

South Africa

Republic of South Africa, Republiek van Suid-Afrika, IRiphabliki yeSewula Afrika, IRiphabliki yaseMz

Origin and colours of the new flag

Symbolism of the flag

Partners With Us

https://www.tripadvisor.co.za/affiliates

South Africa (1928-1994)

Flag of 1928-1994

Current status regarding the display of the flag in South Africa

The South African Flag Controversy (1927)

Coat of arms of South Africa

South Africa - Coat of Arms

Coat of Arms (2000- )

Coat of Arms (1932 - 2000)

Coat of Arms (1930-1932)

Coat of Arms (1910-1930)

History

The oval shape of foundation

The oval shape of ascendance

South African flag Songs

Vryheidslied

Ons Vlag

De Vlaamse Leeuw

Transvaalse Volkslied

Vaarwel aan die Vierkleur

Die Vlaglied / The Song of the Flag

1910 arms

Evolution

History

1902–1910

1910–1928

1928–1994

1994–present

1994–present

Proper display of the flag

South Africa

Republic of South Africa, Republiek van Suid-Afrika, IRiphabliki yeSewula Afrika, IRiphabliki yaseMz

Origin and colours of the new flag

Symbolism of the flag

Partners With Us

https://www.tripadvisor.co.za/affiliates

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