{"id":8643,"date":"2015-09-23T12:54:09","date_gmt":"2015-09-23T11:54:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buzzsouthafrica.com\/?p=8643"},"modified":"2020-07-23T12:14:51","modified_gmt":"2020-07-23T11:14:51","slug":"interesting-facts-about-south-african-flag","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buzzsouthafrica.com\/interesting-facts-about-south-african-flag\/","title":{"rendered":"South African Flag: Colors, Meaning & Rules About The National Symbol"},"content":{"rendered":"
The South African Flag is one of the fascinating flags in Africa. Its artistic colour blend leaves one wondering how South Africa got the amazing multi-coloured flag. Here, we present to you interesting facts you never knew about the South African Flag.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0<\/b>South African Flag was designed by State Herald Frederick\u00a0Brownell\u00a0in March 1994 and was first adopted on the 27th of April the same year.<\/p>\n
Prior to this time, a public competition was held in 1993 for the design of the national flag, to this, the National Symbols Commission received more than 7,000 designs. Six designs were drawn up and presented to the public and the Negotiating Council, but none elicited enthusiastic support. A number of design studios were contacted to submit further proposals, but they were again without success. Parliament went into recess at the end of 1993 without a suitable candidate for the new national flag. But on\u00a0March \u00a015, 1994, Brownell’s design was unanimously adopted by the Transitional Executive Council.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0new national flag was initially only an interim flag and was selected and used at the last minute before the 1994 presidential elections. To South Africans, the new flag symbolizes the\u00a0convergence of the disparate groups within South African society and their unification in one democratic state.\u00a0The new national flag\u00a0was hoisted to replace the flag that had been used since 1928.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n Do you know that Flags were first brought to South Africa by the European explorers trying to find a sea route from Europe to India and the Far East?\u00a0The first to reach what is now South Africa were the Portuguese explorers followed by the Dutch, then the British each bringing along its country’s flag. No wonder the South African Flag has touches of\u00a0the colours of\u00a0these flags on her new flag.<\/p>\n The South African National Flag comprises of two horizontally placed stripes. The red stripe is on the top and the blue stripe is at the bottom. The two horizontal bands both have\u00a0equal width, separated by a central green band which splits into a horizontal “Y” shape, the arms which end at the corners of the hoist side.\u00a0The left side of the flag has a black triangle outlined in yellow. The\u00a0Black, gold and green\u00a0colours were the\u00a0first colours that were incorporated into the South African national flags in the 19th century. It features prominently in the flags of the liberation movements, particularly the African National Congress (ANC)\u00a0which was Mandela’s political party, the Pan-African Congress (PAC) and Inkatha.<\/p>\n The other three \u2013 red, white and blue \u2013 reflect\u00a0the flags of the old Transvaal colony\u00a0(which also has green), the Dutch tricolour and the British Union flag. The ‘Y’ shape flowing into a single horizontal band to the outer edge of the flag, is commonly interpreted to mean the unification of the various ethnic groups and the moving forward into a new united South Africa. In all, the colourful structure of the South African Flag symbolizes Unity and Progress.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n According to Ancient and Heraldic traditions, much symbolism is associated with colours. The colours on the South African flag speaks a lot about the South African people and their history.\u00a0South Africans call this the “rainbow nation” based on the multiracial, the multi-ethnic and multicultural composition of the country, hence many refer to the new flag as the “rainbow flag”.<\/p>\n Black (Blue\/Black) symbolizes the people and the determination of the black race, the blue represents the Atlantic and Indian oceans, it also\u00a0represents vigilance, truth, loyalty, justice and perseverance of the people or according to a different version, the wide sky overhead. The red (referred to as chilli red)\u00a0represents the country soaked with bloodshed during the wars of the past that cannot be forgotten, it also\u00a0represents bravery, hardiness, and strength.<\/p>\n Green represents the fertility of the land and also love, hope, and joy for the land. Yellow stands for the mineral wealth beneath the soil, generosity as well as the abundance of gold for which South Africa is well known. White represents\u00a0the white population of South Africa, honesty, and peace.<\/p>\n See Also:\u00a0Reed Dance In South Africa: 10 Things You Didn\u2019t Know About The Exotic Dance<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Seeing the National Flag flying high in the sky, South Africans cannot help remembering the following:<\/p>\n 1. That it symbolizes the\u00a0convergence of the disparate groups within South African society and their unification in one democratic state.<\/p>\n 2. It brings to mind the beginning of South Africa’s political transformation into a democratic government and the end of Apartheid regime<\/p>\n 3. It reminds the people of the first time they were allowed to take part in the country’s electoral process. It was also the first held with universal adult suffrage\u00a0conducted under the direction of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).<\/p>\n 4. The flag is a clear example of South Africa\u2019s commitment to nondiscrimination. The colours of the flag were deliberately not given any official symbolic meaning so everyone can make the colours of the flag personally meaningful.<\/p>\n 5. It also reminds South Africans of the rise and emergence of Nelson Mandela as their new democratic leader as the\u00a0choice for a new flag was part of the negotiation process set in motion when Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990.<\/p>\n 6. At the time of its adoption, it was the only national flag in the world to contain six colours as part of its primary design.<\/p>\nColour and Symbols<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Facts About the Flag<\/strong><\/h2>\n