Last modified: 2005-04-09 by bruce berry
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![[Flag of South Africa]](../images/z/za.gif)
by Mark Sensen and António Martins, 9 Mar 2000
South Africa's current flag - designed for the "interim" period - will
remain the country's national flag under the final constitution which comes
into force in 1999, the Constitutional Assembly (charged with writing the
final constitution) recommended on 28 September 1995.
Bruce Berry, 2 Oct 1995
South Africans call this the "rainbow nation" based on the multi racial,
multi ethnic and multi cultural composition of the country, hence many
refer to the new flag as the "rainbow" flag.... I spend a considerable
amount of time explaining that the gay movement already uses this phrase
for
their flag and that we should think of another
term when referring to our national flag!!!
Bruce Berry, 9 May 1996
I remember when the current South African flag was hoisted on 27 April 1994, that
it was to be in place for a five-year period with an option to renew -
that five-year period, will be up in a few months, is there any movement
to change the flag, or is the flag too well-loved there?
David Kendall, 13 Feb 1999
When the new SA flag was chosen it was regarded as an "interim" flag
in line with the "interim" constitution through which South Africa achieved
full democracy in 1994. Subsequently, a Constitutional Assembly has
drawn up a new Constitution (adopted on 8 May 1996 and amended on 11 October
1996) which was enacted by Parliament as Act Number 108 of 1996.
As part of the process in drawing up the new Constitution, the question
was asked whether the flag should be retained or a new one designed.
The overwhelming response was the new flag should be retained. Consequently,
the flag is now "permanent" and is
described in Schedule 1 of the Constitution.
So the existing South African flag is here to stay.
Bruce Berry, 15 Feb 1999
The current South African flag was designed by Mr Fred Brownell, State
Herald (and SAVA Chairperson).
Bruce Berry, 26 March 1999
The South African flag is one of the most recognisable in the world
- yet does not have a name.
So when wildlife tourism publishers, WildNet Africa published Flying
With Pride: The Story Of The South African Flag, they called for suggestions.
They have released the first 100 suggestions, which include fascinating
and thought-provoking names. There's AmaFlappaFlappa, Fluttering
Rainbow, Yebo Flag, Shosholoza and Forever Glorious.
Nkosi Johnson - the late child Aids activist - was another idea Former president Nelson Mandela gets plenty of mention too. Some people want the flag to be known as Madiba, or Madiba's Rainbow, the Mandela Flag, or even just Nelson.
"Pride" and "rainbow" got plenty of mentions - Pride of Africa; Rainbow of Hope, Rainbow Pride, Rainbow Warrior, as did Renaissance, South Africa Good Hope, South Africa Pride, the Ray of Hope, the Rainbow and The Winds of Change.
While the name will eventually be decided by the custodians of the country's national symbols, the government's Bureau of Heraldry, Dr Andrew McKenzie, director of special projects at WildNet Africa, said that people could still send in suggestions to the website FlyingWithPride.co.za, or to PO Box 73528, Lynnwood Ridge, 0040.
"We want to keep the debate open and alive," McKenzie said.
Bruce Berry, 2 Jul 2002
![[ISCOR logo]](../images/z/za$iscor.gif)
sent by Neville Purdon, 21 Mar 2001
In South Africa the largest iron ore producer (ISCOR) has a 'Y' flag. Many in SA believe,
somewhat erroneously, that this is where the so-called 'New' South African flag
got its origin. Above is the Iscor
flag (The Afrikaans name is Yskor).
Neville Purdon, 18 Mar 2001
Do you know if there was any input from the iron ore company in the
designing of the new South African flag? I think the connection is rather remote. I wonder what "ISCOR" is - maybe "The
Iron and Steel Company of RSA"?
Rob Raeside, 21 Mar 2001
Your guess is not far from it. The acronym ISCOR stands for Iron and Steel Corporation
and YSKOR for Yster en Staal Korporasie. I have never seen it as a flag though, merely
as a company logo and perhaps a logo type of flag (as that is quite common
in South Africa). As far as I know it had absolutely nothing to do with the new South
African flag.
Franc Van Diest, 22 Mar 2001
Franc is correct. ISCOR does stand for the Iron and Steel Corporation of South Africa. The symbol is a combination of the I (for Iron) and Y (for the Afrikaans “Ysterâ€). There is no connection between this symbol (logo) and the new South African flag according to Fred Brownell, the designer of the new South African flag.
According to Mr. Brownell the colours of the new flag do not really have symbolic meanings in themselves. People do sometimes assign meanings to these colours but this was not the case with the flag was designed. While the colours of the South African 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. The 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) and the Pan-African Congress (PAC) and are also found in the flags of the Inkhatha Freedom Party (IFP), and thus represent the country's black communities. The 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 and represent the white population.
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.
Bruce Berry, 22 Mar 2001
In order to keep abreast of latest developments, readers
might be interested to learn that the name ISCOR was laid to rest over this past
weekend when Ispat Iscor officially changed its name to Mittal Steel South
Africa to reflect the global steel empire to which the former South African
parastatal now belongs.
Iscor began in the 1920s with the South African government being the original
shareholder. After decades of providing sheltered employment for whites, it
became the first state-owned entity to be privatised in a R3,7 billion deal in
1989 when it listed on the Johannesburg stock exchange. Its name changed to
Ispat Iscor in August 2004 when
Anglo-Dutch group LNM Holdings increased its shareholding to more than 50%. The
change to Mittal Steel SA follows the acquisition by Ispat International, 77%
owned by the Mittal family, of LNM and its merger with International Steel Group
in the USA to form the world's biggest steel company in a deal valued at $17,8
billion.
Given that the logo and flag of Iscor was based on its English and Afrikaans
acronym, I expect it will change to reflect its new corporate name and identity.
Bruce Berry, 15 Mar 2005
All four colonies had flag badges - they formed the four quarters of
the post-1910 flag badge which was itself the shield of
arms of the
Union
of South Africa (and, if I recall correctly, is still used by the "New
South Africa" today, as no-one has yet come up with a better design acceptable
to all).
Roy Stilling, 2 Oct 1996
Yes - SAVA published a Journal entitled "The Union Jack over Southern
and Central Africa, 1795 - 1994" in 1994 which covers all these flags (and
those used in what is now Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Botswana, Malawi etc).
Bruce Berry, 7 Oct 1996
See for separate articles on the colonies :
![[SA flag construction sheet]](../images/z/za-cons.gif)
sent by Bruce Berry, 27 Nov 2000 - click on the image for a 640
x 466 image!
At this
site is a construction sheet that describes the flag of South Africa.
Quite simple specifications: 2:3 background, length of the pall 1/5th of
the height, length of the pale plus fimbriations 1/3rd (thus fimbriations
are 1/15th), arms of the pale parallel to the hoist semi-diagonals of the
flag. Colors are described by names only ("gold" is used, not "yellow")
but red is defined as "red (chilli)".
António Martins, 9 Mar 2000
by
Zachary Harden, 13 Feb 2005
With the assistance of Mike Clingman of the
National Flag manufacturing company in Johannesburg., I have made a construction
sheet for the South African national flag. The original gif used was made by
António Martins and Mark Sensen.
by Zachary Harden, 13 Feb 2005
I do not, for a moment, wish to
denigrate your excellent effort, but if you don't mind me saying so Zach a much
simpler construction diagram was issued by the South African Bureau of Standards
in SABS 212 (Second Edition), 1998, which shows a flag of 30 x 60 units, with
the upper and lower horizontal panels at 10 each, and the fimbriation and green
stripe at 2-6-2.
Christopher Southworth, 13 Feb 2005
If I am not entirely mistaken, the
numbers do not add up:
14.4+44.2+14.4=73 <> 72
While at it, you may want to consider using different number that give the same
proportions but without decimal point. e.g.
(10+2+6+2+10):45.
On such a construction sheet those dimensions you provide are not enough for
unambiguous drawing. This may possibly be improved by indicating that the
slanted elements are made along the virtual diagonal bands, as for the UK flag.
Željko Heimer, 13 Feb 2005
Yes, and I know the image was featured on
our website. However, I noticed when Željko was making construction sheets, he
wanted to make it small enough to fit on our site (using the 216x432, 324, etc).
That is what I am trying to accomplish.
The fly end has three sections, 72-72-72. The middle section is split up into
five parts. Two parts, the first and fifth part, is white. The rest is green.
However, Željko is right and that my maths was not right. I forgot to get rid of
the 44.2 and make it 43.2. I have re-sent the image.
Is the SA flag still 2:3
ratio?
Zachary Harden, 13 Feb 2005
The most recent official information I have dates from 1998 and according to
this the South African flag is (as it was from its inception) 2:3, whilst the
construction details I gave i.e: fly measurements of 10-2-6-2-10 (or 1/3, 1/15,
1/5, 1/15, 1/3) - the same as for the Cross of St George and fimbriation in the
Union Jack - are exactly those given by the South African Bureau of Standards in
the quoted source. There is, however (and if I may say so), one item missing
from your spec and that is the diagonal cross (running from corner to corner)
which places the diagonal parts of the green stripe.
Christopher Southworth, 13 Feb 2005
In respect of those numbers which
don't add up - the "44.2"s should be "43.2". In fact, that means the whole thing
can be simplified by dividing by 7.2, making the length 45 and the width of the
stripes 10, 2, 6, 2, and 10 respectively.
James Dignan, 14 Feb 2004
