List of South African flags

This article lists the flags of the various colonies and states that have existed in South Africa since 1652.

Overview

The following flags have been used as the national flag of the Union of South Africa and the Republic of South Africa:

FlagDateDescription
1910–1912A British Red Ensign with the shield of the coat of arms of the Union of South Africa.
1912–1928A British Red Ensign with the shield of the coat of arms of the Union of South Africa on a white roundel.
Flag of South Africa
1928–1994		Orange, white, and blue horizontal stripes, on the white stripe, a backwards Union Flag towards the hoist, the Orange Free State flag hanging vertically and the Flag of Transvaal, towards the fly. Used for both the Union and later Republic of South Africa
Flag of South Africa
1994–present		Two horizontal bands of chilli red (top) and blue with a black triangle at the hoist, over all a green horizontal (pall) (Y-shape), fimbriated white against the red and blue and gold against the black.

History

Historical flags (1652–1928)
FlagDateUseDescription
1839–1843Natalia Republic
1857–1902Orange Free State
1857–74,
1875–77,
1881–1902		South African Republic (Transvaal Republic)('Vierkleur')
1874–1875South African Republic (Transvaal Republic)('Thomas François Burgers's Voortrekker flag'). A red saltire outlined in white on a dark blue field.
1875–1910Colony of Natal
1876–1910Cape ColonyA blue ensign defaced with the shield-of-arms of Cape Colony
1883–1885State of Goshen
1883–1885Stellaland
1884–1888Nieuwe Republiek
1890–1891Klein Vrystaat
1902–1910Orange River ColonyA blue ensign defaced with a springbok antelope in a disc[1]
1904–1910Transvaal ColonyA blue ensign defaced with a disc showing a lion lying on an African plain with palm trees.[2]
1910–1912Union of South Africa (Merchant flag)
1910–1951Union of South Africa (State Ensign)
1912–1951Union of South Africa (Merchant flag)

National flag (1928–1994)
See also: Flag of South Africa (1928–1994)
  • The Hertzog administration introduced the flag after several years of political controversy. Approved by Parliament in 1927, it was first hoisted on May 31, 1928.
  • The flag reflected the Union's predecessors. The basis was the Prince's Flag (royal tricolour) of the Netherlands, with the addition of a Union Jack to represent the Cape and Natal, the former Orange Free state flag, and the former South African Republic flag.
  • Until 1957, the flag was flown subordinate to the British Union Jack.
  • The flag remained unchanged when South Africa became a republic on May 31, 1961. However, there was pressure to change the flag, particularly from Afrikaners who resented the fact that the Union Flag was a part of the flag. The then prime minister, Dr Hendrik Verwoerd, had a "clean" flag, comprising three vertical stripes of orange, white, and blue, with a leaping springbok over a wreath of six proteas in the centre, designed, but he was assassinated before he could introduce it, and the project died with him in 1966.
FlagDateUseDescription
1928–1982Republic/Union of South AfricaThe flag using a darker shade of "Union" blue common before the early 1980s.
1982–1994Republic of South AfricaThe flag using a lighter shade of "Solway" blue as specified by the South African government in 1982.

Homeland flags (1966–1994)
  • Nine of the ten Black 'homelands' which were created inside South African Federation under the apartheid system, had their own flags, i.e. Transkei (1966–94), Bophuthatswana (1973–94), Ciskei (1973–94), Gazankulu (1973–94), Venda (1973–94), Lebowa (1974–94), QwaQwa (1975–94), KwaZulu (1977–94), and KwaNdebele (1982–94). KaNgwane was the only homeland that never adopted its own distinctive flag, instead using the national flag of South Africa.
  • All these flags became obsolete when South Africa reincorporated the homelands on April 27, 1994.
FlagDateUseDescription
1966–1994Transkei
1973–1994Bophuthatswana
1973–1994Ciskei
1973–1994Gazankulu
1973–1994Venda
1974–1994Lebowa
1975–1994QwaQwa
1977–1985KwaZulu (1)
1982–1994KwaNdebele
1985–1994KwaZulu (2)

Sporting flags (1992-1994)

As a result of the sporting boycott of South Africa over its policy of apartheid, South Africa did not participate in the Olympic Games between 1964 and 1988. The country was re-admitted to the Olympic movement in 1991. [3] As a result of a dispute over what flag and anthem to use following , the team participated in the 1992 Summer Olympic Games under a specially designed sporting flag. The flag consisted of a white field charged with grey diamond, which represented the countries mineral wealth, three cascading bands of blue, red and green, which represented the sea, the land and agriculture respectively, the Olympic rings and the name of the team underneath. [4] [5] Team uniforms included the emblem of Olympic Committee of South Africa, which depicted Olympic rings surrounded by olive branches, with the name of the country above. The team would use Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" as its victory anthem at these games. At the 1994 Winter Game, South Africa participated under the flag of its Olympic committee.

National flag (1994–present)
  • South Africa was reconstituted as a unitary democratic state, with equal rights for men and women of all races, in 1994. The old flag's long association with the apartheid era made it unacceptable for the new dispensation, and the State Herald, Frederick Brownell therefore designed a new flag. Approved by the Transitional Executive Council (TEC) on March 20, 1994, and officially authorised by state president F. W. de Klerk on April 20, 1994, it was officially hoisted a week later, on April 27, 1994.
  • The new flag was intended as an interim measure, but it proved so popular that when the final Constitution was prepared in 1996, it became the permanent flag.
FlagDateUseDescription
1994–presentRepublic of South Africa

Governmental flags
  • Governor of the Cape Colony, 1876–1910
  • Governor of the Natal Colony, 1905–1907
  • Governor of the Orange River Colony, 1902–1910
  • Governor of the Transvaal Colony, 1904–1910
  • High Commissioner for Southern Africa, 1907–1931
  • High Commissioner for Southern Africa, 1931–1968
  • Governor-General of South Africa, 1910–1931
  • Governor-General of South Africa, 1931–1952
  • Governor-General of South Africa, 1952–1961
  • State President of South Africa, 1961–1984
  • State President of South Africa, 1984–1994

Civil Air Ensign
  • 1930s

Military flags

South African Defence Force

South African National Defence Force
  • 1994–2003
  • 2003–present

National Defence Department

South African Army
  • 1951–1973
  • 1973–1994
  • 1994–2002
  • 2002–2003
  • 2003–present

South African Air Force
  • 1920–1940
  • 1940–1951
  • 1951–1958
  • 1958–1967
  • 1967–1970 (approved but not used)
  • 1970–1981
  • 1981–1982
  • 1982–1994
  • 1994–2003
  • 2003–present

South African Navy
  • Naval ensign, 1922–1946
  • Naval ensign, 1946–1951
  • Naval ensign, 1951–1952 (approved but not used)
  • Naval ensign, 1952–1959
  • Naval ensign, 1959–1981
  • Naval ensign, 1981–1994
  • Naval colour, 1981–1994
  • Naval ensign, 1994–present
  • Naval colour, c. 1998

Police flags

South African Police
  • 1981–1994

South African Police Service
  • 1995–present

Provincial flags

1910-1994

Between 1910 and 1994, South Africa was divided into four provinces, Cape Province, Natal, Orange Free State and Transvaal. These provinces had their own coat of arms but not their own flags.

1994-present

In April 1994, South Africa was divided into nine provinces. Each province was granted a coat of arms, in most cases designed by State Herald Frederick Brownell. Currently only one province, Mpumalanga, has adopted an official provincial flag, doing so in February 1996. [6] The other eight provinces can be represented by white banners charged with their coats of arms.

Proposed flags

Flags proposed in the 1920s
  • Committee proposal 1
  • Committee proposal 2
  • Committee proposal 3

Flags proposed in the 1990s

Designs shortlisted by the Commission on National Symbols

The Commission on National Symbols proposed six designs in October 1993.[7]

  • Proposal 1
  • Proposal 2
  • Proposal 3
  • Proposal 4
  • Proposal 5
  • Proposal 6

Designs Proposed Graphic design studios

A group of professional graphic design studios proposed several flag designs in November 1993. [8]

Designs shortlisted by the Joint Technical Working Committee

The Joint Technical Working Committee shortlisted 5 designs in February 1994. A further design was proposed also by the African National Congress (ANC) based on a design shortlisted in October 1993. Proposal 4, designed by State Herald Frederick Brownell, was ultimately selected as the final choice for the new flag by the Transitional Executive Council.[9]

  • Proposal 1
  • Proposal 2
  • Proposal 3
  • Proposal 4
  • Proposal 5
  • Proposal by ANC
gollark: You can always use type aliases.
gollark: Well, generally you would have the tuples use brackets.
gollark: But what if you do I/O? Their COMPUTER might be wrong.
gollark: But mostly it's not right.
gollark: If it definitely won't happen, great, use unwrap.

See also

Notes
  1. This replaced the Orange Free State republican flag.
  2. The flag is the colonial flag which replaced the "Vierkleur" of the South African Republic (horizonally red, white and blue with a vertical green stripe at the hoist).
  3. https://gulfnews.com/today-history/july-23-1992-south-africa-returns-to-olympics-after-32-years-1.2062619
  4. https://www.crwflags.com/FOTW/flags/za@olymp.html
  5. https://gulfnews.com/today-history/july-23-1992-south-africa-returns-to-olympics-after-32-years-1.2062619
  6. https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/za-mp.html
  7. https://repository.up.ac.za/xmlui/bitstream/handle/2263/50847/Brownell_Convergence_2015.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
  8. https://repository.up.ac.za/xmlui/bitstream/handle/2263/50847/Brownell_Convergence_2015.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
  9. https://repository.up.ac.za/xmlui/bitstream/handle/2263/50847/Brownell_Convergence_2015.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

References
  • Beckett, D. (2002) Flying with Pride.
  • Brownell, F.G. (1993) National and Provincial Symbols.
  • Burgers, A.P. (1997) Sovereign Flags of South Africa.
  • Burgers, A.P. (2008). The South African Flag Book.
  • Pama, C. (1965) Lions and Virgins.
  • Pama, C. (1984) Die Vlae van Suid-Afrika.
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