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:

Flag	Date	Description
	1910–1912	A British Red Ensign with the shield of the coat of arms of the Union of South Africa.
	1912–1928	A 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 (bottom) 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)[]

• Many flags were used in South Africa prior to political unification in 1910.
• The original Dutch East India Company colony at the Cape of Good Hope (1652–1795) flew the Dutch flag, with the VOC logo in the centre. This flag was also flown during the period of Batavian Republic rule (1803–06).
• The Boer Republics, i.e. the Orange Free State (1854–1902), the South African Republic (1857–1902), Stellaland (1882–85), Goshen (1883–85), the Nieuwe Republiek (1884–88), and the Klein Vrystaat (1886–1891) had their own flags. Several derived from the Dutch flag.
• The British colonies that existed in the 19th century flew the British flags, and from the early 1870s some, i.e. Natal, Cape Colony, and later the Orange River Colony and the Transvaal, added their own colonial flag badges.
• The Union of South Africa, formed in 1910, initially used a red ensign defaced with a badge depicting the Union coat of arms. The first South African national flag, introduced in 1928, superseded it.

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

National flag (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.

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1928–1982	Republic/Union of South Africa	The flag using a darker shade of "Union" blue common before the early 1980s.
	1982–1994	Republic of South Africa	The 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.

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1966–1994	Transkei
	1973–1994	Bophuthatswana
	1973–1994	Ciskei
	1973–1994	Gazankulu
	1973–1994	Venda
	1974–1994	Lebowa
	1975–1994	QwaQwa
	1977–1985	KwaZulu (1)
	1982–1994	KwaNdebele
	1985–1994	KwaZulu (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 national anthem to use following readmission, 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 and the Olympic rings.^[4][5] This flag was also used to represent the South African team at the 1992 Summer Paralympics. 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 Games, 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.

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1994–present	Republic of South Africa

Governmental flags[]

Civil Air Ensign[]

Military flags[]

South African Defence Force[]

South African National Defence Force[]

National Defence Department[]

South African Army[]

South African Air Force[]

South African Navy[]

Police flags[]

South African Police[]

South African Police Service[]

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

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  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 submitted to the Transitional Executive Council and approved as the final choice for the new flag.^[9]

• 

  Proposal 1

• 

  Proposal 2

• 

  Proposal 3

• 

  Proposal 4

• 

  Proposal 5

• 

  Proposal by ANC

See also[]

• Flag of South Africa
• National symbols of South Africa
• Coat of arms of South Africa
• Flag of the South African Republic
• Flag of the Orange Free State
• Flag of the Cape Colony
• Flag of Stellaland
• Flag of the Natalia Republic

Notes[]

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.

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Flags of South Africa.

• Southern African Vexillological Association (SAVA)
• South Africa - national index at Flags of the World