List of South African flags

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

History

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
1883–1885	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)
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.
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)
1994–present	Republic of South Africa

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.

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.

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).
All these flags became obsolete when South Africa reincorporated the homelands on April 27, 1994.

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	Description
	1910–1912	A British Red Ensign with the shield of the coat of arms of the Union of South Africa.
	1910–1951	A British Blue Ensign with the shield of the coat of arms of the Union of South Africa.
	1912–1951	A British Red Ensign with the shield of the coat of arms of the Union of South Africa on a white roundel.
	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
	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.

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
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

Military flags

South African Defence Force

1947–1981
1981–1994

South African National Defence Force

1994–2003
2003–present

National Defence Department

Army

1951–1973
1973–1994
1994–2002
2002–2003
2003–present

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

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

Civil Air Ensign

1930s

Notes

This replaced the Orange Free State republican flag.
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).

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

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[ord-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).